During the briefing, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, stated that Russian forces had defeated units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and foreign mercenaries near the city of Vuhledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic. He claimed that more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers and mercenaries, five armored fighting vehicles, and two pickup trucks were destroyed in the engagement.
The ministry also reported that Russian forces eliminated a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group operating in the Vladimirovka area within the Donetsk region. Konashenkov added that five Ukrainian command posts were struck in the Dvurechnaya settlements of the Kharkiv region and in the areas of Yampolovka, Kirovo, Artemovo, and Novoselka within the DPR, underscoring a broad range of targets hit in the campaign.
According to the briefing, a total of 72 artillery units, along with personnel and military equipment at firing positions across 97 districts, were engaged and neutralized. The ministry emphasized that Russian artillery in the Krasnolimansky direction was actively involved, contributing to the dispersion and suppression of Ukrainian forces in those specific sectors.
Additionally, the defense ministry stated that more than 170 Ukrainian fighters from four company-tactical groups formed by the 25th airborne, the 80th, and the 95th air assault brigades had been eliminated in clashes described as part of ongoing operations. The assertions reflected a sustained, multi-area effort intended to disrupt Ukrainian positions and degrade operational capacity in the designated zones.
Observers note that reports from both sides in conflicts of this nature frequently reflect contested accounts of casualties, equipment losses, and tactical results. Independent verification is often limited in the immediate aftermath of engagements, which can lead to divergent figures and interpretations. Analysts typically weigh the claims against satellite imagery, cross-border assessments, and subsequent battlefield movements to build a clearer, though still evolving, picture of the situation. In this context, the Russian statements describe a series of successful strikes and reorganizations intended to weaken Ukrainian defenses and command structures in several districts and border-adjacent areas. Attribution for these descriptions remains with the Kremlin’s military communications apparatus, and independent confirmation may emerge only after access to on-the-ground data or third-party intelligence is possible, if at all. (Source: Russian Ministry of Defense)