MOSCOW. April 26 (Interfax) - Russian assault units are continuing operations in the western part of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut), Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
"In the Donetsk sector, assault units continued to eliminate units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and mercenaries in the western part of Artyomovsk," Konashenkov said.
"Units of the Aerospace Forces and of the southern group of forces supported the assault units' actions, and suppressed attempts by Ukrainian forces to counterattack [against] the northern and southern flanks," he said.
Near the populated localities of Artyomovskoye, Bogdanovka and Krasnoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, air strikes and artillery fire from the southern group of forces defeated units of the Ukrainian army's 57th Mechanized Infantry Brigade and 5th Assault Brigade, he said.
"An ammunition depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed in the vicinity of Vyemka in the Donetsk People's Republic," Konashenkov said.
Military aircraft conducted four missions and artillery from the group of forces carried out 59 fire missions in the sector over the past 24 hours, he said.
"The enemy's losses in the sector over the past day include up to 300 Ukrainian troops and mercenaries, two infantry fighting vehicles, four armored fighting vehicles, seven automobiles, D-20 and Msta-B howitzers, an Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, and one British-made L118 howitzer," Konashenkov said.