MOSCOW. Feb 16 (Interfax) - Russian forces took better positions in the Kupyansk and Donetsk sectors and improved their frontline positions in the Krasny Liman and southern Donetsk sectors over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
"In the Kupyansk sector, units of the western group of forces took better positions and repelled 18 attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian 25th Air Assault Brigade, the 30th, 32nd, 43rd, 44th and 60th Mechanized Brigades and the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade near Sinkovka, Tabayevka, and Timkovka in the Kharkov region and Terny in the Donetsk People's Republic [DPR] over the past week," the ministry said in a statement.
"Enemy personnel was hit near Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People's Republic [LPR] and Kislovka and Berestovoye in the Kharkov region," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
According to the ministry, the Ukrainian army lost more than 775 troops, two tanks, seven armored fighting vehicles, 17 road vehicles, and five field artillery weapons.
"In the Krasny Liman sector, unis of the central group of forces improved their positions on the front line [and] repelled 14 enemy attacks in interaction with aviation and artillery," the ministry said.
Units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 24th, 60th and 63rd Mechanized Brigades were defeated near Chervonaya Dibrova in the LPR and Yampolovka and Torskoye in the DPR, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The Ukrainian army has lost more than 1,585 troops, four tanks, 44 armored fighting vehicles, 82 road vehicles, and three field artillery weapons over the past week, the military said.
"In the Donetsk sector, units of the southern group of forces took better positions and repelled 46 enemy attacks near Belogorovka, Bogdanovka, Kleshcheyevka, Krasnoye, Leninskoye, Novomikhailovka, and Shumy in the DPR," it said.
Russian forces also defeated units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian National Guard near Kurdyumovka, Andreyevka, Georgiyevka, and Katerinovka in the DPR, it said.
In total, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 1,820 troops, 11 tanks, 14 armored fighting vehicles, 84 road vehicles, and 25 field artillery weapons in this area, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
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