LUHANSK, July 04. /ITAR-TASS/. As many as 125 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed in combat operation in the territory of the newly proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic since July 2, the press service of the Luhansk People’s Republic said on Friday.

The Luhansk Republic’s forces, according to the press service, destroyed a Grad multiple launch rocket system, a mortar battery, two armored personnel carriers, four tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, four howitzers and three planes of the Ukrainian army.

“Since July 2, the foe has been continuously shelling and bombing a number of cities and settlements in the Luhansk People’s Republic, including suburbs of the capital city. Retaliation fire destroyed a tent of Ukrainian army officers,” the press service said. “Self-defense forces are concentrated on two key tasks: to defend Luhansk and the Izvarino check point at the border with Russia.”

On July 2, Andrei Lysenko, a representative of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council told a briefing that as many as 200 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed and 619 had been wounded since the beginning of the force operation in Ukraine’s eastern region (in April).