MOSCOW. Oct 1 (Interfax) - Russia's northern group of forces has thwarted two Ukrainian attempts to break through the Russian border and has repelled two Ukrainian counterattacks in the Kursk sector in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
"Two attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to break though the Russian border towards Novy Put have been thwarted with the assistance of army aviation and artillery," the ministry said.
In addition, the group repelled two enemy counterattacks towards Plekhovo over the past day, it said.
When trying to break through the Russian border, the enemy lost up to 25 troops killed or wounded, an armored combat vehicle, and three trucks. Two Ukrainian troops surrendered, the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost up to 20 troops killed or wounded and one truck when its counterattacks were repelled near Plekhovo, it said.
While continuing the offensive, the northern group of forces struck detachments of nine Ukrainian brigades near Lyubimovka, Novy Put, Nikolayevo-Daryino and Plekhovo, it said.