MOSCOW. July 16 (Interfax) - Russia's northern group of forces has struck three Ukrainian brigades in the Kharkov region and repelled five attacks over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
"Units of the northern group of forces struck the troops and military hardware of the [Ukrainian] 42nd Mechanized Brigade, the 125th Territorial Defense Brigade and the 13th National Guard Brigade near Volchansk, Staritsa and Liptsy in the Kharkov region," the ministry said.
Five attacks by Ukrainian assault units were repelled and the Ukrainian army lost up to 230 troops, one tank, two pickup trucks, a M777 howitzer, a D-20 artillery gun, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system and a Bukovel-AD electronic warfare station, the military said.
"Units of the western group of forces improved their frontline positions and struck units of the 14th, 44th, 66th and 115th Mechanized brigades and the 143rd and 144th Infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the 103rd, 127th and 241st Territorial Defense brigades near Sinkovka, Petropavlovka, and Podliman in the Kharkov region, Torskoye, Krasny Liman, and Kirovsk in the Donetsk People's Republic [DPR] and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People's Republic," it said.
One Ukrainian counterattack was repelled and the Ukrainian army lost up to 545 troops, two trucks, a Krab self-propelled artillery system, eight howitzers, a D-20 artillery gun and four field ammunition depots in the western group of force's area of responsibility, it said.
"Units of the southern group of forces have taken more advantageous positions and struck troops and military hardware of the Ukrainian 24th, 28th, 30th, and 54th Mechanized brigades, 56th Motorized Infantry Brigade, 79th Airborne Assault Brigade, and 46th and 81st Airmobile brigades near Grigorovka, Verkhnekamenskoye, Nikolayevka, Katerinovka, Zaliznyanskoye, and Chasov Yar in the DPR", it said.
Russian troops repelled an attack by a Ukrainian assault unit, it said.
The Ukrainian army lost up to 560 troops, one tank, two armored combat vehicles, three trucks, three D-20 artillery guns, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, six howitzers, two electronic warfare stations, and seven field ammunition depots, it said.