MOSCOW. April 20 (Interfax) - Russian forces have suppressed five Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DNR and LNR) and in the Kharkov and Zaporozhye regions over the past day, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
"Three Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were neutralized near Sinkovka and Timkovka in the Kharkov region and Rozovka in the [LNR]," Konashenkov said at a press briefing on Thursday.
In the Kupyansk sector, attack planes, army aviation and artillery from the western group of forces hit Ukrainian army units near Masyutovka and Krakhmalnoye in the Kharkov region and Novosyolovskoye and Stelmakhovka in the LNR.
The Ukrainian army lost up to 50 troops, two armored combat vehicles and two pickup trucks during the day, he said.
"In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye sectors, aviation and artillery from the eastern group of forces hit Ukrainian army units near Ugledar, Velikaya Novosyolka and Shevchenko in the [DNR]," Konashenkov said.
Two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were neutralized near Pavlovka in the [DNR] and Malinovka in the Zaporozhye region, he said.
In that area, the Ukrainian army lost up to 30 troops, an armored combat vehicle and a D-30 howitzer during the day, Konashenkov said.
"In the Krasny Liman sector, aviation, artillery and heavy flamethrowers from the central group of forces hit hostile units near Yampol, Seversk Maly and Serebryanka in the [DNR]," he said.
The Ukrainian army lost over 60 troops, two tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and a D-30 howitzer there during the day, Konashenkov said.
"In the Kherson sector, gunfire killed more than 15 Ukrainian troops and destroyed two trucks, a U.S.-made M77 artillery system and two Msta-B howitzers over the past 24 hours," he said.