The Russian Defense Ministry released a report detailing recent combat losses and engagements involving Russian forces and Ukrainian military units in several frontline regions. According to the ministry, an Mi-8 military helicopter operated by Ukraine’s air forces was brought down in the Zaporozhye region during operations near the village of Uspenovka. The ministry described the event as part of a broader air and anti aircraft activity in the area, noting the downing of the aircraft by Russian air power. This claim is attributed to the official statement from the Russian Defense Ministry and is presented as a factual update on ongoing hostilities in southern Ukraine.
The same briefing outlines additional air defense actions, stating that 15 HIMARS Uragan and Alder rockets were intercepted, along with seven unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to Ukrainian forces, across the DPR, LPR, Kharkiv and Zaporozhye regions within a single day. The ministry emphasizes the efficiency of Russian air defense units in disrupting Ukrainian long range rocket strikes and drone activity, framing these events as part of a sustained defensive campaign aimed at neutralizing threats to Russian-controlled or adjacent territories.
In a separate update, the Defense Ministry reported movement in the Krasnolimansky direction. It claimed that Ukrainian units were repelled and that the Russian forces achieved tactical successes in this sector, while asserting that Ukrainian forces suffered significant casualties and that several settlements experienced Ukrainian withdrawals. Such statements are presented as indicators of pressure on Ukrainian positions in a contested front, highlighting the ebb and flow of combat through a series of localized engagements and tactical shifts.
Additionally, the ministry described actions along the Kupyansk axis, where Russian forces reportedly defeated Ukrainian units in the Gryanikovka, Stepova Novoselivka, and Timkovka areas within the Kharkiv region. The report frames these developments as part of coordinated operations designed to constrain and degrade Ukrainian military capabilities in key corridors and villages near the front lines. The ministry attributes these outcomes to sustained artillery, air defense, and ground assault activity aimed at regaining initiative in an evolving battlefield environment. [Source: Russian Defense Ministry communications]