40 Ukrainian soldiers killed, over 1,000 military assets hit overnight: Russia

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russian forces killed some 40 Ukrainian soldiers and hit over 1,000 Ukrainian military assets in overnight operations, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

High-precision missile strikes killed up to 40 Ukrainian military personnel and destroyed seven units of military equipment in Novovorontsovka and Kislevka, ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing in Moscow.

He said the Strategic Rocket Forces struck 1,053 military assets, including 31 command posts, six fuel depots, 910 strongholds and areas of concentration of enemy manpower, as well as 106 artillery firing positions.

Other Ukrainian military assets targeted overnight included four command posts, four ammunition depots, seven strongholds and 57 areas of concentration of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment, he added.

Six Ukrainian tanks, nine armored vehicles and one Msta-B howitzer battery were also destroyed, according to Konashenkov.

He said Russian air defense systems also shot down six unmanned aerial vehicles and two Tochka-U tactical missiles.

“In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 140 Ukrainian aircraft, 496 unmanned aerial vehicles, 253 anti-aircraft missile systems, 2,388 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 256 multiple rocket launchers, 1,029 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 2,232 special military vehicles have been destroyed,” said Konashenkov.

Since the war began on Feb. 24, the civilian death toll in Ukraine has climbed to 2,104, while 2,862 more people have been injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be much higher.

More than 4.9 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​