LUGANSK, December 28. /TASS/. Russian servicemen have repelled almost 2,000 Ukrainian counterattacks in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), inflicting nearly 400,000 casualties on the Ukrainian armed forces, Andrey Marochko, a military expert, told TASS.

"Kiev’s military and political situation can be described as tense and has a tendency toward deterioration. For Russia, the situation is improving: the tide of the special military operation was significantly shifted in 2024. The enemy is currently engaged in attempting to hold positions, but Ukraine’s armed forces have suffered a number of defeats. <…> Ukrainian armed formations have carried out nearly 2,000 assaults on our defensive positions in the LPR responsibility zone over the year. <…> The Ukrainian losses in lives throughout the reporting period have amounted to over 400,000 soldiers and mercenaries. The majority of Ukrainian militants in the special military operation area were eliminated in the Donetsk and Kharkov directions," he said.

Marochko noted that over the year the Russian army did not just manage to withstand the onslaught of the Ukrainian armed forces and mercenaries, but also "successfully advanced" deep into the enemy’s defense, secured ground and improved positions, as well as liberated 70 settlements in the Kharkov Region, the LPR, and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). "Decisive actions by our units resulted in nearly all of the LPR’s territory being liberated. Currently, there is fighting for the remaining five settlements, three of which are already partially under the control of the Russian Armed Forces," he stated.

The military expert added that Russian servicemen have destroyed 672 tanks, 4,100 field artillery guns, 101 multiple rocket launchers, 561 electronic warfare and counterbattery radar stations, 1,100 field ammunition depots, as well as 9,700 Ukrainian combat vehicles over the year.