LUGANSK, September 15. /TASS/. Kiev lost about 4,300 soldiers and foreign mercenaries killed and wounded in battles along the borders of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) over the past week, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS.

"The Ukrainian military lost around 4,340 militants and mercenaries in the areas of responsibility of the Battlegroups North, South, and West during the reporting period, which is 30 more than the previous week. The greatest damage to enemy manpower was inflicted in the zone of the Battlegroup West, operating in the Kupyansk direction and the Svatovo-Kremennaya area of the LPR," Marochko said, citing data from the Russian Defense Ministry.

He added that over the same period, Russian forces destroyed eight tanks, 50 field artillery guns, 64 radio-electronic and counter-battery warfare stations, 94 ammunition, fuel, and materiel depots, as well as nearly 300 combat vehicles of various types.

According to Marochko, Russian troops also carried out group strikes on Ukrainian military facilities and temporary deployment points along the western borders of the LPR. As a result, Russian forces improved their tactical positions and advanced deeper into Ukrainian defenses.