Russian forces have repelled 18 Kiev army attacks on the Kupyansk and Krasny Liman axes and shot down more than 50 Ukrainian drones in the new regions including the LPR territory, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
“On the Kupyansk axis, Task Force “West” units, supported by aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems repelled 15 attacks by the Ukrainian army’s 14th, 32nd, 43rd, 54th and 67th Mechanized Brigades and 101st Territorial Defense Brigade in the areas of Timkovka and Sinkovka in the Kharkov region and Nadiya in the LPR,” the report said.
Enemy losses on this axis amounted to more than 145 servicemen, two armored fighting vehicles and two cars. In counterbattery duels, Russian forces knocked out one US-made M777 howitzer and two “Gvozdika” self-propelled howitzers.
On the Krasny Liman axis, Task Force “Center” units, aircraft and artillery repelled three attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 15th National Guard regiment and 67th Mechanized Brigade in the areas of Grigorovka in the DPR and Chervonaya Dibrova in the LPR.
The Ukrainian army lost up to 30 servicemen, two armored fighting vehicles and three cars on this axis.
“Fifty-one Ukrainian drones were shot down in the areas of Zolotaryovka, Nyrkovo and Topolevka in the LPR, Novosyolovka in the DPR, Inzhenernoye and Mirnoye in the Zaporozhye region, Peschanovka in the Kherson region and Tavolzhanka and Olshana in the Kharkov region,” the Defense Ministry said.
*** The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014.  The peace talks failed to reach tangible results due to Kiev’s position to settle the conflict by force.   President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation on February 24, 2022 to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Prior to that, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance.*i