Russian troops advanced in the southern area of Donetsk and the Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to counterattack but were stopped, a Spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, reported on Thursday.

Moscow.- At his usual press briefing, the spokesman added on Thursday that during the clashes the artillery units killed 80 soldiers, and destroyed three infantry vehicles and two Ukrainian artillery tanks.

Near Mykolaiv, Kryvyi Rih, the Russian units repulsed five attacks of motorized infantry companies of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and drove the enemy back to their initial positions, Konashenkov noted.

Meanwhile, in the Krasny Liman area of the Luhansk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched an unsuccessful offensive with the use of three reinforced battalions, as the active actions of troops and artillery pushed the enemy back to their initial positions, he said.

Konashenkov also noted that Russian troops defeated Ukrainian reserves coming from the localities of Terny and Kirovsk, in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

The enemy reported that over 200 soldiers were killed and 120 were wounded, and also lost four tanks, nine armored vehicles, and eight cars, he added.

Russian aviation, artillery, and missile troops destroyed the command posts of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade and 115th Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukraine on Thursday, he said. (PL)