MOSCOW. April 5 (Interfax) - The Russian Armed Forces have taken control of Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
"In the Avdeyevka sector, units from the central group of forces took control of the populated locality of Vodyanoye in the DPR and continued to advance into the enemy's defensive lines and to seize better positions," the ministry said.
In that area, aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrowers hit troops and hardware of six Ukrainian brigades and repelled 39 counterattacks near Semyonovka, Novgorodskoye, Berdychi, Tonenkoye, Umanskoye and Pervomaiskoye in the DPR. The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 1,695 troops, three tanks, 15 armored combat vehicles, 23 trucks, and 19 artillery systems in the Avdeyevka sector over the past week, the ministry said.
In the Kupyansk sector, units from the western group of forces, interacting with aircraft and artillery, struck troops and hardware of four mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades near Yampolovka and Stelmakhovka in the DPR and Stroyevka in the Kharkov region, the ministry said. Ten counterattacks by assault groups of the 95th Air Assault Brigade, 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade, and 60th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were repelled near Sinkovka in the Kharkov region and Terny in the DPR.
"The enemy lost up to 270 troops, two armored combat vehicles, 22 trucks, and 13 artillery systems. Four field ammo depots were destroyed," the ministry said.
"In the Donetsk sector, successful operations of units from the southern group of forces improved their tactical frontlines. Detachments of four assault brigades, three airmobile brigades and eight mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit near Belogorovka in the Lugansk People's Republic and Kurdyumovka, Novomikhailovka, Kleshcheyvka, Spornoye, Andreyevka and Chasov Yar in the DPR. Fifteen counterattacks by assault groups of the 31st, 67th and 72nd Mechanized Brigades and 80th and 92nd Air Assault Brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were repelled. The enemy lost over 2,110 troops, six tanks, 11 armored combat vehicles, 89 trucks and 40 artillery systems," the ministry said.
In the southern Donetsk sector, units from the eastern group of forces improved their tactical frontlines and hit detachments of seven brigades of the Armed Forces, the National Guard and territorial defense of Ukraine near Urozhainoye and Ugledar in the DPR and Malinovka in the Zaporozhye region. The enemy lost over 760 troops, eight tanks, two armored combat vehicles, 24 trucks and 11 artillery systems, the ministry said.
In the Kherson sector, units from the Dnepr group of forces hit troops and hardware of units of Ukraine's mountain assault brigade, three mechanized brigades, marine brigade and three territorial defense brigades near Vysshetarasovka in the Dnepropetrovsk region, Rabotino, Nesteryanka, Novosyolovka and Pyatikhatki in the Zaporozhye region, and Ivanovka and Novotyaginka in the Kherson region. The enemy lost over 240 troops, 19 trucks, and 14 artillery systems, including an M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system and two M777 artillery systems, the ministry said.