Russian armed forces have rebuffed five attacks by Kiev troops in the Kremennaya district in the Lugansk People’s Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.   “On the Krasny Liman axis, efficient and courageous Task Force “Center” units, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems successfully rebuffed five enemy attacks in the areas of Kuzmino and Serebryanka Forestry,” the report said. The operations of three Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were thwarted in the areas of Yampolovka, Chervonaya Dibrova and Serebryanka Forestry.   “Ukrainian army losses on this axis over the past 24 hours amounted to more than 135 servicemen, two infantry fighting vehicles, two armored fighting vehicles, three pickups, one  “Akatsiya” self-propelled howitzer and one D-30 howitzer," the Russian Defense Ministry said.   “On the Kupyansk axis, Task Force “West” aircraft and artillery delivered strikes at Ukrainian army units in the areas of Novomlynsk, Petropavlovka, Kotlyarovka and Stelmakhovka (LPR).   “Two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were eliminated in the areas of Sinkovka and Novoselovskoye. Enemy losses over the past 24 hours amounted up to 30 servicemen, one armored personnel carrier, two cars and one American M109 Paladin artillery piece,” it said.   Over the past 24 hours, 15 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down in the areas Dvurechnoye in the Kharkov region, Kremennaya and Chervonaya Dibrova (LPR), Razdolovka, Volnovakha, Kirillovka and Krasnopolye (DPR), Lyubimovka and Mirnoye in the Zaporozhye region and Chervony Mayak in the Kherson region.   ***   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.   Russian 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.   The Lugansk People’s Republic acceded to Russia on September 30, 2022 following the unification referendum. *i*ie