Russia says inflicted heavy damage on Ukrainian forces

Russia’s defense ministry has said that its military inflicted heavy damage on Kiev forces, killing a multitude of enemy forces while destroying their tanks, armored battle vehicles, drones and munitions depots.

The Russian Defense Ministry told TASS news agency on Sunday Southern Military District chopper took out more than two dozen Ukrainian troops in the Zaporozhye area.

“Reconnaissance revealed a buildup and transfer of additional enemy personnel in one of the wooded areas, up to 30 people. The task was set to destroy the identified target with unguided [aerial] missiles. From time to time, along with personnel, we also hit lightly armored vehicles, pickup trucks … and infantry fighting vehicles,” a military pilot, identified by his call name Spartak, said in a video obtained by TASS.

The Russian Defense Ministry added that the Southern Military District’s aircraft continue to carry out missions to “destroy the enemy’s personnel and armored vehicles,” and disrupt Ukrainian attempts to attack Russian positions in the Zaporozhye area.

Multiple combat sorties by Ka-52 and Mi-28 helicopters of Russia’s Southern Military District targeted Ukrainian fortifications and armored military vehicles, the ministry said, adding that Russian pilots approached the combat area at extremely low altitudes and skirted the terrain, which allowed the aircraft to avoid detection by Ukrainian air defenses.

On another front, Russia’s battlegroup South aircraft hit 23 Ukrainian-controlled areas in the Donetsk area, destroying three munitions depots and a drone control post, among other targets, Georgy Minesashvili, a spokesman for the battlegroup, told TASS.

“The group’s aircraft struck personnel and military equipment in 23 areas. In the course of the fighting, the enemy lost a US-made M777 howitzer, a UK-made Stormer surface-to-air missile system, two pickup trucks, as well as three ammunition depots, a drone control post and an observation post,” he said.

Minesashvili added that Russian air defense systems destroyed 10 Ukrainian drones in the areas of the Vesyolaya Dolina, Belogorovka and Pervomayskoye settlements in the Donetsk People’s Republic. He said Russian units in the Donetsk area, in joint action with aircraft and artillery, repelled three attacks by Ukrainian assault groups in Maryinka and Avdeyevka.

Russia’s battlegroup West units also destroyed two Ukrainian Leopard tanks in the Kupyansk area, according to another spokesman of the Russian forces, Sergey Zybinsky.