The Russian Defense Ministry announced, on Sunday, that more than 50 Ukrainian generals and officers were killed in a strike on a command center in the Ukrainian Dnipropetrovsk region.

Russian Defense Spokesperson, Igor Konashenkov, said, in a press statement, that long-range, high-precision Kalibr missiles launched from the sea yesterday hit the headquarters of the Ukrainian forces near the village of Shiroka Dacha in the Dnipropetrovsk province, while a work meeting for the leaders of the Alexandria strategic operational group was being held.

#Ukraine - #Russia conflict.#Donbass, an hour ago:
#Ukrainian army hangar after #Kaliber missile attack. pic.twitter.com/qRQMhC4C4V

— k_gaita (@k_gaita) June 18, 2022

The spokesperson explained that as a result of the strike, more than 50 generals and officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were killed, including representatives of the General Staff, the leadership of the Kakhovka Group, the air assault forces, and the formations operating on the Nikolaev and Zaporozhye axes.

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According to the ministry, high-precision missiles hit a train carrying personnel in the Dnepropetrovsk region, and more than 100 Ukrainian soldiers were eliminated. The ministry added, "The 56 Mechanised Infantry Brigade was defeated, and up to 200 fighters were killed, including foreign mercenaries."

Moreover, the ministry stated that the offensive was successfully developed in the direction of Severodonetsk, Lugansk Republic. They added that the battalion defending the Lysychansk region of Severodonetsk gave up its heavy weapons and left its positions.

Ukrainian militant in Azot ready to negotiate

The ambassador of the Lugansk Republic in Moscow, Rodion Miroshnik, said that the Ukrainian militants besieged at the Azot plant in Severodonetsk are sending signals showing readiness to negotiate.

He wrote via his Telegram channel that "Contact and negotiation with the besieged militants continue, but it is clear that the terms of their surrender will not be better than before. They are still trying to seize opportunities and disrupt the ceasefire agreements."

The ambassador stressed that the military conditions for these besieged militants continue to deteriorate for the worse.

Previously, some 300-400 Ukrainian troops were blocked on the territory of the Severodonetsk Azot Association chemical plant, Rodion Miroshnik, the ambassador of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) to Russia, said on June 11.  

"About 300-400 Ukrainian soldiers are now blocked at Azot. They are positioned near the first gatehouse of the chemical plant. Up to 500 civilians who were hiding from shelling in the plant's bomb shelter may also remain there. There are more civilians on the territory [of the plant], but they are in other parts of the plant," Miroshnik said on Telegram.  

The ambassador stated that the military sought a safe passage for them and the prisoners from the plant's land to the city of Lysychansk; however, Miroshnik stated that such requests are inappropriate and will not be discussed.

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