By Dmitri Chirciu
ISTANBUL (AA) – Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed on Wednesday that its forces have seized control of the Novoelizavetovka settlement in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
In a statement, the ministry provided an update on Russian military operations in Ukraine, saying the Central Military Group’s troops have taken over the settlement.
“As a result of active operations, the units of the Central Military Group have ‘liberated’ the Novoelizavetovka settlement in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the statement read.
The ministry also reported that in the past 24 hours, Russian forces carried out attacks on 152 targets, including Ukraine’s military airfield infrastructure, drone and naval drone production and assembly workshops, and storage facilities.
Additionally, Russian air defense systems shot down 165 Ukrainian drones, the statement claimed.
According to the ministry, since the start of the war, Russian forces have destroyed 652 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 41,800 drones, 590 air defense missile systems, 20,887 tanks and armored vehicles, 1,510 multiple rocket launchers, more than 21,000 howitzers and mortars, and 30,878 special military vehicles.