Moscow-SANA

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today that its forces managed to eliminate Ukrainian ultra-nationalist factions that penetrated into the Russian province of Belgorod, eliminating more than 700 Ukrainian military personnel, and 11 drones of the Ukrainian forces were shot down during yesterday's combat operations.

"After suffering defeat in the city of Artiomovsk, the Kiev regime turned to carrying out terrorist acts against the civilian population," the ministry's daily statement on the conduct of the special military operation said, adding that after intensive artillery shelling of the Kuzhinka international border checkpoint and a number of other civilian sites in the Grivoronsky region of the Belgorod region, a unit of a Ukrainian nationalist faction penetrated into the territory of Russia yesterday.

According to the statement:

– The nationalist factions were repelled and defeated by air strikes, artillery fire and active actions of the border protection units of the Western Military Region.

The remnants of the nationalists were expelled to the territory of Ukraine, more than 70 Ukrainian terrorists were eliminated and four armored combat vehicles and five pickup trucks were destroyed.

On the main axes of fighting:

– 720 Ukrainian soldiers were eliminated, including 110 soldiers on the Kobiansk axis, 65 soldiers on the Krasny-Liman axis, 375 soldiers on the Donetsk axis, 150 soldiers on the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye axis, and 20 soldiers on the Kherson axis.

– Two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were neutralized on the Kobyansk axis and another on the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye axis, two warehouses, a command post and two fuel depots in Donetsk were destroyed, while 96 Ukrainian artillery units were hit at firing sites, troops and military equipment in 112 regions, 13 Himars and Uragan rocket launchers were intercepted, and 11 Ukrainian drones were shot down.

Since the beginning of the special military operation, 428 aircraft, 235 helicopters, 4273,424 drones, 9275 anti-aircraft missile systems, 1100,4887 tanks and other armored vehicles, 10395,<> rocket launchers, <>,<> field artillery and mortars, and <>,<> special military vehicles have been destroyed.

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