MOSCOW. Feb 22 (Interfax) - The Russian Defense Ministry has reported a successful continuation of the offensive of volunteer assault teams supported by the Russian Armed Forces in the Donetsk sector.
"In the Donetsk sector, volunteer assault teams are continuing a successful offensive with the support of units from the Tula formation of the Airborne Forces, attack planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces, and artillery and heavy flamethrowers of the southern group of forces," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
According to him, Ukrainian forces lost up to 250 troops killed or wounded, as well as five armored combat vehicles, six trucks and a D-20 howitzer in that area over the past day.
"In addition, an ammo depot of the 68th infantry ranger brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been destroyed near Katerinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic," Konashenkov said.
"In the southern Donetsk sector, artillery of the eastern group of forces delivered combined strikes on hostile units near Ugledar and Prechistovka in the Donetsk People's Republic," he said.
The Ukrainian army lost up to 65 troops, in addition to an infantry combat vehicle, two armored combat vehicles, two pickup trucks, a D-20 howitzer and a D-30 howitzer, Konashenkov said.
In the Kherson sector, two D-30 howitzers were destroyed in the course of counter-battery measures over the past day, Konashenkov said. "Ammo depots of the 123rd and 126th territorial defense brigades were hit near Antonovka and Chernobayevka in the Kherson region," he said.
"In the Kupyansk sector, artillery and intense actions of the western group of forces hit hostiles near Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People's Republic and Masyutovka in the Kharkov region," Konashenkov said.
Ukrainian forces lost over 40 troops and two pickup trucks there, he said.
"In the Krasny Liman sector, offensive operations of the central group of forces, alongside artillery and heavy flamethrower fire hit troops and hardware of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Stelmakhovka and Nevskoye of the Lugansk People's Republic and Yampolovka in the Donetsk People's Republic," Konashenkov said.
In that area, the Ukrainian army lost 135 troops, an infantry combat vehicle, four armored combat vehicles, two Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers and a D-20 howitzer over the past day, he said.