MOSCOW. Aug 4 (Interfax) - Russian forces have counterattacked Ukrainian units near Belogorovka and Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People's Republic and have taken better positions, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
"In the course of intensive defense actions in the Donetsk sector, units of the southern group of forces repelled eight attacks by the enemy near Belogorovka, Spornoye, Vesyoloye, Staromikhailovka, Paraskoviyevka and Pervomaiskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic," Konashenkov said at a press briefing on Friday.
"Having repelled the attacks, Russian forces counterattacked the retreating enemy near Belogorovka and Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People's Republic and took better positions as a result," he said.
Tactical aircraft, army aviation and artillery hit concentrations of troops and hardware of the 24th, 28th and 110th mechanized brigades, the Fifth Air Assault Brigade, and the 81st Airmobile Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the vicinity of Toretsk, Kleshcheyevka, Avdeyevka, Krasnoye and Belogorovka in the DPR, Konashenkov said.
In that area, Ukrainian forces lost up to 185 troops, two armored combat vehicles, four pickup trucks, four trucks, a Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery system, and a D-20 howitzer, he said.
"In the southern Donetsk sector, assault units of the eastern group of forces continued their offensive near Staromayorskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic and improved their tactical position," Konashenkov said.
Troops and hardware of the 31st Mechanized Brigade and the 35th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit near Rovnopol and Makarovka in the DPR, he said.
"Operations of a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group were put to a stop near Priyutnoye in the Zaporozhye region," Konashenkov said.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 120 troops, two armored combat vehicles, three trucks, a Msta-B howitzer, and a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system in that area over the past day.