Moscow - Saba:
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Friday that Russian forces had taken control of three towns in Donetsk, killed more than 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers, and destroyed numerous combat vehicles, weapons, and ammunition depots during the week preceding the ceasefire.
The ministry said in a statement reported by the Russian Sputnik news agency that before the ceasefire took effect from May 3 to 8 of this year, the Russian armed forces carried out six massive strikes using high-precision weapons and attack drones, destroying Ukrainian military-industrial complex facilities, military airfield infrastructure, weapons and ammunition depots, storage sites, and control points for naval drones, in addition to temporary deployment points for Ukrainian armed groups and foreign mercenaries.
The statement added that units from the Russian Northern Group targeted formations composed of several Ukrainian brigades, inflicting more than 1,445 casualties. Units from the Western Group took control of the town of Lipovoye in Donetsk, inflicting losses exceeding 1,495. Units from the Center Group took control of the towns of Lisovka and Troitskoye in Donetsk, inflicting approximately 3,015 casualties. Units from the Eastern Group continued their advance deep into Ukrainian defenses, inflicting more than 1,255 casualties.
The statement indicated that over the past week, Russian air defense systems shot down 32 guided aerial bombs, 31 missiles, and 1,615 drones. Russian naval aviation also destroyed 23 unmanned boats in the Black Sea.
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