Russian forces have captured new settlements and inflicted heavy losses on Ukrainian troops, Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday, marking another escalation in the ongoing war.

According to the Ministry, the Russian army's Center group of forces has taken control of Novopavlovka (Novopavlivka) in the Donetsk People's Republic, along with Alexeyevka (Oleksiivka) in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region. Moscow said these advances were part of continued offensive operations across eastern Ukraine.

In its daily briefing, the Ministry claimed that Russia's Tsentr (Center) group of forces has eliminated more than 460 Ukrainian military personnel in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The Ukrainian armed forces lost more than 460 servicepeople, two Kozak armored vehicles, five vehicles, and two field artillery pieces," the Ministry said in a statement.

West, East groups eliminate 1,100+ soldiers

Russia's Zapad (West) group has eliminated up to 220 Ukrainian military personnel, while the Vostok (East) group of forces eliminated up to 900 Ukrainian soldiers in the past day, the ministry said.

It also reported that Russian strikes targeted energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine's defense industry, suggesting a strategic push to cripple the country's arms production capacity.

Meanwhile, the Russian Air Defense Command said it intercepted and destroyed 59 Ukrainian drones overnight over eight Russian regions and the Black Sea. The largest numbers were recorded over the Rostov, Volgograd, and Belgorod regions, as well as Crimea, highlighting Ukraine's continued attempts to hit targets deep inside Russian territory.

[#Russie/#OTAN]
⚡️🇷🇺 Les forces armées russes ont libéré Alekseevka dans la région de Dnipropetrovsk, et Novopavlovka dans la RPD rapporte le ministère de la Défense de la Fédération de Russie. L'essentiel

⭕️ Les forces armées russes ont frappé des installations énergétiques… pic.twitter.com/aIBM25rlBy

— X⚡️INFOLIVE (@xinfolive) October 15, 2025

Escalating Fronts

Recent weeks have seen a notable intensification of hostilities on several fronts. Russia has expanded its use of precision drones against Ukraine's rail and logistics hubs, while Kiev has ordered mass evacuations from frontline areas such as Kupiansk amid sustained shelling.

Ukrainian forces have deployed new helicopter units to intercept Russian drones, which have repeatedly targeted the country's energy grid, causing widespread outages in Kiev and Kharkov.

At the same time, Moscow has moved to restore power links to the Russian-controlled Zaporozhye nuclear plant, signaling ongoing military and infrastructure maneuvers in occupied territories.

Cross-border drone incidents have also increased, with several unmanned aircraft allegedly entering NATO airspace in Poland, underscoring the conflict's growing regional spillover.

Read more: UK, Ukraine to mass-produce drones to counter Russian attacks