Recently, reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense highlighted significant claims from the southern group operating in the Donetsk direction. According to Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, the official representative of the ministry, the enemy line suffered heavy casualties as a result of ongoing operations. The Russian side asserts that more than 285 Ukrainian service members and mercenaries were eliminated in a single sector during the recent engagements.
The ministry also stated that Ukrainian forces lost 17 pieces of equipment in this same operational corridor. The figures reflect a combination of destroyed tanks, armored vehicles, and support units attributed to the Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk direction, as outlined by Konashenkov and his briefing team.
In the latest briefing, Konashenkov noted that air power played a role in countering Ukrainian actions. The region reportedly experienced nine aviation sorties over the previous 24 hours, with ground-based gunners completing 98 shots in a single combat mission. These details are presented as part of the ministry’s ongoing daily update on the battlefield situation in the Donetsk area.
As described by the Defense Ministry, Ukrainian losses in the Donetsk direction included two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, four armored personnel carriers, and four support vehicles. The ministry’s tally emphasizes the mix of armored and support equipment reported as destroyed during the described operations.
The statement also claimed the destruction of two Akatsiya self-propelled howitzers and a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount, identifying these systems as part of the Ukrainian artillery assets neutralized in the course of the ongoing campaign in the Donetsk direction. The Defense Ministry described the results as a demonstration of the effectiveness of the southern group’s firepower and maneuver capabilities in the specified sector, according to official releases.
Moreover, the ministry affirmed that two Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage groups (DRGs) were stopped in the Kupyansk direction, signaling continued friction along multiple axes of advance. The representative noted daily Ukrainian casualties in the vicinity of Kupyansk, with a claimed figure of 170 soldiers lost per day in that area as part of the ministry’s consolidated battlefield updates. These assertions are presented by the ministry as corroboration of its assessment of the operational tempo and objective outcomes across contested areas in the current campaign. (Source: Russian Ministry of Defense)