MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax) - Russian forces have conducted intensive operations and repelled eight Ukrainian counterattacks in the Avdeyevka sector while striking the enemy in other areas over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
"In the Avdeyevka sector, units from the central group of forces improved their tactical position through active operations and repelled eight counterattacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 25th Airborne Brigade, 68th and 71st Jaeger Brigades, and 23rd, 24th and 115th Mechanized Brigades near Novokalinovo, Semyonovka, Petrovskoye, Netailovo and Berdychi in the Donetsk People's Republic [DPR]," the ministry said.
The enemy came under strikes in several sectors of the front line, it said.
In the Avdeyevka sector, the Ukrainian army lost more than 380 troops, one infantry vehicle, two trucks, a 155mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system, a 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and three 122mm D-30 howitzers, it said.
In the Kupyansk sector, units from the western group of forces improved their front lines and repelled two counterattacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian 21st Mechanized Brigade near Terny in the DPR. The enemy lost up to 30 troops, two armored combat vehicles, a 155mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system, a U.S.-made 155mm M198 howitzer, and a 152mm Msta-B howitzer. A field ammo depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed, it said.
In the Donetsk sector, units from the southern group of forces took better positions and hit troops and hardware of the Ukrainian 46th Airmobile Brigade, 92nd Air Assault Brigade, and 28th and 93rd Mechanized Brigades near Andreyevka, Krasnogorovka, Kurdyumovka and Kleshcheyevka in the DPR. The enemy lost up to 630 troops, one armored combat vehicle and four trucks. Counterbattery measures hit 155mm Paladin and Krab self-propelled artillery systems, a 152mm Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, a 105mm M119 gun, and a Nota electronic countermeasures station, the ministry said.
In the southern Donetsk sector, units from the eastern group of forces improved their front lines and hit troops and hardware of the 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 108th and 128th Territorial Defense Brigades near Lugovoye in the Zaporozhye region and Ugledar, Urozhainoye and Staromayorskoye in the DPR. The enemy lost up to 80 troops, two trucks, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, a 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, a 152mm D-20 howitzer, and a Bukovel-AD electronic countermeasures station, it said.
In the Kherson sector, units from the Dnepr group of forces hit detachments of the Ukrainian 117th Mechanized Brigade and 35th Marine Brigade near Orekhov in the Zaporozhye region and Ivanovka in the Kherson region. The Ukrainian army lost up to 40 troops, five trucks and a U.S.-made 155mm M777 howitzer, the ministry said.