A Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson told Sputnik on Monday that more than half of the Ukrainian troops who have attempted to advance towards the south Donetsk direction as part of the Ukrainian-led counteroffensive were lost.

"In the south Donetsk direction, subunits of the Vostok group of forces, with the support of artillery and aviation, inflicted fire damage on the enemy, who is trying to conduct offensive operations. Motorized rifle units thwarted two enemy attacks in the Novodonetske area. A tank, armored fighting vehicles, and more than half of the advancing manpower were destroyed," the spokesperson said.  

The spokesperson added that two attacks in the direction of Ravnopol were neutralized and an attempt to conduct reconnaissance by force in the Zaporizhzhia direction was thwarted.

‼️🇷🇺The Russian army destroys enemy armored groups, repelling the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the South-Donetsk direction

💥 UAV crews revealed the advancing of an enemy armored group under the cover of a forest belt. As a result of accurate fire from Russian… pic.twitter.com/NIfXEsiFKu

— Zlatti71 (@djuric_zlatko) June 13, 2023

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On another note, Acting Kherson Governor Vladimir Saldo told Sputnik that repair works to restore the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant (HPP) can only start once Ukrainian troops are pushed away to a distance deemed safe for work to be carried out. However, there are still no specific plans or projects drawn as of now. 

"Of course, after achieving the goals of the special military operation, or even earlier, when we drive the enemy to a safe distance, we will begin to restore the Kakhovka HPP. There is no other way - the ecology and economy of the left bank of the Kherson region and northern Crimea are strongly tied to it. This is a fundamental issue. However, it is clear that specific plans and projects will be drawn up later," Saldo said.

The Kakhovka dam in the Dnipro River was blown on June 6, unleashing a flood of water across the war zone.

Russian news agencies said the dam, controlled by Russian forces, had been destroyed in shelling and a Russian official said it was a terrorist attack.

On June 7, the Russian-appointed Mayor of Nova-Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontyev, revealed that seven locals were reported to be missing after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.

Later, it was confirmed by media reports that six people died as a result of the damage.