Russian air defense systems have eliminated 119 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the special military operation zone including the territory of the Lugansk People’s Republic over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
“Over the past week, air defense intercepted one Tochka-U tactical missile, two S-200 ground-to-air guided missiles, 17 high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) projectiles and 119 UAVs,” the Ministry said adding that the Ukrainian army manpower losses amounted up to 1,525 servicemen killed or wounded on the Kupyansk and Krasny Liman axes in the designated period.
***
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*sb
