TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – Russian forces have destroyed over 15,000 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"In all, the following targets have been destroyed since the start of the special military operation: 577 Ukrainian warplanes, 267 helicopters, 15,080 unmanned aerial vehicles, 484 surface-to-air missile systems, 15,428 tanks, and other armored combat vehicles, 1,237 multiple rocket launchers, 8,369 field artillery guns and mortars, and 19,608 special military motor vehicles," the ministry said in a statement, TASS reports.

Russian forces repulsed four Ukrainian army attacks in the Kupyansk area over the past day, the ministry reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, units of the Western Battlegroup in interaction with aircraft and artillery repulsed four attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 32nd mechanized and 57th motorized infantry brigades near the settlement of Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region. The enemy’s losses amounted to 30 personnel, 2 infantry fighting vehicles, and 2 pickup trucks," the ministry said.

In counter-battery fire, Russian forces destroyed a Czech-made Vampire multiple rocket launcher, 2 French-manufactured Caesar self-propelled artillery guns, a Gvozdika motorized artillery system, a D-30 howitzer, and a US-made M101 artillery gun, it specified.

Russian forces took advantageous positions in the Donetsk area over the past day, the ministry reported.

"In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern Battlegroup gained more advantageous sites in their active operations and inflicted damage on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 80th air assault, 33rd and 54th mechanized brigades near the settlements of Krasnogorovka and Razdolovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Belogorovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

During the last 24-hour period, Russian forces repelled an attack by an assault group of the Ukrainian army’s 79th air assault brigade near the settlement of Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, it said.

"The Ukrainian army lost roughly 180 personnel, 2 armored combat vehicles, 3 pickup trucks, 3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery guns and 2 D-20 howitzers. Russian forces also destroyed three enemy field ammunition depots," the ministry reported.

MNA/