Russian forces liberate Nikolayevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Feb 2023 22:01
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The spokesperson for Russia's Defense Ministry says that Russian forces targeted Ukrainian soldiers and their military hardware in 135 areas.

Spokesperson of Russia's Defense Ministry Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov

In a briefing on the battle updates that took place during the last day, Russia's Defense Ministry Spokesperson Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said on Monday that Russian air defenses downed four Ukrainian drones and 15 HIMARS rockets.

"In the past 24 hours, air defense capabilities shot down four Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Kremennaya in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Nikolskoye and Volnovakha in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Velikaya Lepetikha in the Kherson Region," he said.

"In addition, they shot down 15 rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system near the communities of Kremennaya in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Kirillovka, Blagoveshchenka and Olginka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," he added.

Russian artillery struck Ukrainian manpower and military equipment in the Kupyansk area, eliminating roughly 40 enemy troops over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

Konashenkov also noted that, within the same day, Russia's artillery units targeted Ukrainian forces and military equipment in Kupyansk, which led to the killing of nearly 40 soldiers.

"In the Kupyansk direction, artillery of the western battlegroup inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of units of the Ukrainian army’s 103rd territorial defense brigade and 14th mechanized brigade in areas near the settlements of Gryanikovka, Sinkovka, Timkovka and Krakhmalnoye in the Kharkov Region and Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the Spokesperson said.

"As many as 40 Ukrainian servicemen and two motor vehicles were destroyed," Konashenkov added.

During an offensive on the Krasny Liman front, the Russian army killed more than 100 Ukrainian soldiers.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, damage was inflicted on units of the Ukrainian army’s 92nd mechanized, 25th airborne and 95th air assault brigades as a result of artillery fire and offensive operations by the battlegroup Center," the Spokesperson said.

During the fighting, Russian forces killed "over 100 Ukrainian servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, two armored combat vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, a Nona-S self-propelled gun and two D-20 howitzers," he continued.

The spokesperson announced that Nikolayevka in the DPR was liberated by Russian forces.

"In the Donetsk area, volunteers of assault units with the fire support of missile troops and artillery of the southern battlegroup liberated the settlement of Nikolayevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic as a result of successful offensive operations."

Also on the Donetsk front, Russian forces killed almost 90 Ukrainian troops.

"As many as 90 Ukrainian troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, two armored combat vehicles and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed in that area in the past 24 hours," the Spokesperson said.

Russian forces also targeted and destroyed in the settlement of Konstantinopol in the DPR a Ukrainian artillery depot, in addition to a fuel depot for military hardware.

The Russian forces also targeted three Ukrainian military brigades in Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Novodarovka in the Zaporozhye Region, killing more than 70 soldiers.

"In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, damage was inflicted on manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 1st tank and 72nd mechanized brigades and also 110th territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Novodarovka in the Zaporozhye Region as a result of artillery fire and active operations by units of the battlegroup East," the Spokesperson said.

Ukraine's army lost "over 70 Ukrainian troops, a tank, an infantry fighting vehicle and also two howitzers (D-20 and D-30)," he added.

A Ukrainian Grad multiple-launch rocket system, in addition to three howitzers, was destroyed by Russian forces in the Kherson region.

"In the Kherson direction, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer, a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed in the counter-battery warfare," the general said.

Another Ukrainian ammo depot near Ochakov in the Nikolayev Region was completely destroyed, the general added.

A radar of an S-300 anti-air system belonging to Ukraine, in addition to US-made AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery, was destroyed by Russian forces in the Kharkov Region

"In the area of the settlement of Veliky Burluk in the Kharkov Region, a multi-channel guidance radar of an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system was destroyed. In the area of the settlement of Dvurechnaya in the Kharkov Region, a US-made AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery radar was eliminated," the Spokesperson said.

Russian missile and artillery units struck a total of 98 Ukrainian artillery units participating in combat, in addition to manpower and military hardware in 135 areas, he said.

The general reported that since the beginning of the war in February 2022, the Russian army destroyed 206 Ukrainian helicopters, 382 war jets, 3,027 drones, 403 surface-to-air missile systems, 7,759 tanks and other armored military vehicles, 1,009 multiple rocket launchers, and 4,012 artillery units and mortars, in addition to 8,276 special military vehicles.