Ukrainian military casualties exceeded 12,000 during Kyiv's five-day counteroffensive, Russia’s Defense Ministry has claimed, according to Russia Today.
More than 4,000 Ukrainian troops were killed and another 8,000 injured between September 6 and 10 in the south and east of the country, ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said during a daily briefing on Sunday.
According to the official, Russian forces conducted “precision strikes” with missiles and artillery targeting pro-Kyiv units in Kharkov region, from where Russian troops retreated earlier as part of what Moscow described as “redeployment.”
Russia said its military has destroyed, among other things, numerous command posts and shot down a helicopter over the past few days.
The Defense Ministry also accused Ukrainian troops of having shelled the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant 26 times since September 1.
The Russia-controlled facility located in Ukraine’s southern Zaporozhye region was seized by Russian forces in early March, soon after Moscow launched its military operation.
On Sunday, the last working reactor at the plant was switched off.
MNA/PR