MOSCOW. June 27 (Interfax) - Russia's central group of forces has improved its tactical position, struck Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), and repelled six Ukrainian counterattacks over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
"Units from the central group of forces have improved their tactical position and struck detachments of the 24th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 109th Territorial Defense Brigade near Novgorodskoye and Toretsk in the DPR," the ministry said.
Six counterattacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian 23rd, 41st, 31st and 68th Mechanized brigades and 95th Air Assault Brigade were repelled over the day, it said.
There, the Ukrainian army lost up to 345 troops, three trucks, a 155mm M777 howitzer, a 152mm 2A65 Msta-B howitzer, four 122mm D-30 howitzers, and a 100mm MT-12 Rapira anti-tank gun, it said.
Units from the northern group of forces hit troops and hardware of the 42nd and 57th Mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 113th, 125th and 127th Territorial Defense brigades near Volchansk, Neskuchnoye and Liptsy in the Kharkov region, it said.
The Ukrainian army lost up to 190 troops, four armored combat vehicles, three trucks, two 155mm FH-70 howitzers, and three 122mm D-30 howitzers, it said.
"Units from the western group of forces took better positions and hit detachments of the Ukrainian 14th, 21st and 115th Mechanized Brigades near Nevskoye in the Lugansk People's Republic, Sinkovka in the Kharkov region, and Grigorovka in the DPR. They also repelled a counterattack by assault groups of the enemy's 63rd Mechanized Brigade," it said.
In that area, the Ukrainian army lost up to 585 troops, four trucks, a 155mm M777 howitzer, a 152mm D-20 howitzer, a 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer. Four artillery ammo depots, an AN/TPQ-50 counter-mortar radar, and a radio-electronic intelligence station were destroyed, it said.
Units from the southern group of forces improved their front lines and hit troops and hardware of the Ukrainian 79th Air Assault Brigade and 46th Airmobile Brigade near Kurakhovo and Konstantinovka in the DPR. The Ukrainian army lost over 640 troops, an armored personnel carrier, five trucks, a 155mm M777 howitzer, a 155mm M198 howitzer, three 152mm D-20 howitzers, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer. Five Ukrainian field ammo depots were destroyed, it said.
Units from the eastern group of forces took better positions and struck troops and hardware of the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade and the 17th National Guard Brigade near Urozhainoye and Velikaya Novosyolka in the DPR. Two counterattacks by the enemy's 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade were repelled, it said.
In that area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 115 troops, an armored combat vehicle, five trucks, a 155mm FH-70 howitzer, a 122mm 2S1 Grozdika self-propelled artillery system, a 122mm D-30 howitzer, and a 105mm M119 gun, it said.