Russia says eliminated +130 foreign mercenaries, 90 troops in Ukraine
The Russian armed forces have eliminated more than 130 foreign mercenaries in the Donetsk People's Republic during a major offensive.
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Photo from the strike location in Druzhkovka (Social media)
The Russian Aerospace Forces bombed the deployment site of the Ukrainian army's foreign legion in the Donetsk People's Republic, which saw over 130 mercenaries meeting their demise over the past 24 hours, Defense Ministry spokesperson Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said Tuesday.
"Precision strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces against the temporary deployment sites of foreign legion units in areas near the settlement of Maslyakovka and the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic eliminated over 130 foreign mercenaries," the spokesperson said.
Additionally, Konashenkov revealed that the Russian forces eliminated around 90 Ukrainian troops during an offensive waged on the DPR.
"As many as 90 Ukrainian servicemen, two tanks, five combat armored vehicles, and seven motor vehicles were eliminated as a result of damage inflicted on the enemy by combined firepower in areas near the settlements of Krasnoye, Petrovskoye, Nevelskoye, Georgiyevka and Pobeda in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesperson said.
Several location got targeted last night in Druzhkovka. The one caught on camera on french TV was the train station which UA appears to have media gagged completely.
— Ghost (@mdfzeh) January 3, 2023
Instead they are just showing off the damage from ice skating hall. pic.twitter.com/1feD4Nljty
This comes after the Russian Defense Ministry said that 63 Russian soldiers were killed Monday after Ukrainian forces fired missiles on the temporary deployment facility of the Russian troops in Makiivka, DPR.
"As a result of shelling of the temporary deployment unit by four missiles with high-explosive warheads, 63 Russian servicemen were killed," the defense ministry's statement read.
The DPR has been largely subjected to Ukrainian shelling for the past few months, with Kiev's troops shelling the region from the northwestern village of Orlivka.
Further material losses
Konashenkov reported that his country's armed forces destroyed four US-made HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems, 800 rounds of ammunition, and 120 Ukrainian troops in the DPR.
"Missile and air strikes against the amassed military hardware in the area of the Druzhkovka railway station [...] destroyed two US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, four Czech-made RM-70 Vampire rocket systems, over 800 shells for multiple launch rocket systems, six motor vehicles, and also as many as 120 Ukrainian military personnel," the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Konashenkov underlined that Russian forces uncovered Ukrainian positions in the region, which allowed them to bomb two HIMARS that Kiev had been using to shell civilian-populated areas in the DPR.
Additionally, the past 24 hours saw Moscow shooting down 13 Ukrainian UAVs and intercepting nine HIMARS rockets.
Reportedly, the UAVs were shot down near the settlements of Svistunovka and Chervonopopovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Kirillovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Trudovoye and Berdyansk in the Zaporozhye Region.
Meanwhile, the HIMARS rockets were downed near the communities of Chervonopopovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson Region.
The military general underlined that Russia has destroyed over 2,800 Ukrainian drones since the beginning of the Ukraine war.
In summary, since the outbreak of the war, Russia has destroyed: "355 warplanes, 199 helicopters, 2,807 unmanned aerial vehicles, 399 surface-to-air missile systems, 7,382 tanks and other combat armored vehicles, 967 multiple launch rocket systems, 3,768 field artillery guns and mortars, and 7,900 special military motor vehicles," Konashenkov said.
Earlier, the DPR's mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC), highlighted that since February 24, strikes conducted by Ukrainian forces on the DPR have killed 4,392 civilians, including 132 children, and wounded 3,926 people.
On Telegram, the JCCC noted that the Ukrainian strikes destroyed 9,224 residential buildings, 2,200 civilian infrastructure facilities, and 1,114 vehicles.
