Russian forces hammer Ukrainian manpower, equipment in over 120 areas — top brass

©Sergei Bobylev/TASS, archive

Russian forces struck 74 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and equipment in over 120 areas in the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Wednesday.

"In the past 24 hours, operational-tactical and army aviation aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 74 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military hardware in 123 areas," the spokesman said.

Russian combat aircraft and artillery struck Ukrainian manpower and equipment in the Kupyansk area, eliminating over 35 enemy troops in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

Video of the work of mortars of the territorial defense battalion "Prizrak" on the positions of Ukrainian nationalists near the village of Spornoe

"In the Kupyansk direction, assault and army aviation aircraft and artillery of the western battlegroup struck manpower and equipment of units from the Ukrainian army’s 14th and 92nd mechanized brigades near the settlements of Olshana, Pershotravnevoye, Krakhmalnoye and Berestovoye in the Kharkov Region and Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

The Ukrainian army lost over 35 troops, an armored personnel carrier and a motor vehicle in that area in the past 24 hours, the general specified.

Russian forces eliminated over 130 Ukrainian troops in the Krasny Liman area in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, operational-tactical and army aviation aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrowers of the battlegroup Center inflicted damage on amassed manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 66th mechanized, 25th airborne, 95th air assault and 81st air mobile brigades," the spokesman said.

The strikes eliminated "over 130 Ukrainian troops, an infantry fighting vehicle, three armored combat vehicles and a Grad multiple rocket launcher," the general specified.

On the night of February 8, the Russian military covered the positions of Ukrainian militants near Avdiivka with a full package from the Grad. Observation of the enemy was carried out with the help of the Russian system "Ironia".

Russian forces also obliterated a Ukrainian ammunition depot in the Kharkov Region, Konashenkov reported.

Russian forces eliminated over 140 Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk area in the past day, he said.

"In the Donetsk direction, over 140 Ukrainian personnel, one tank, three pickup trucks, three motor vehicles and also a Msta-B howitzer were destroyed in the past 24 hours as a result of offensive operations by assault teams and gunfire of the southern battlegroup," the spokesman said.

Russian forces also destroyed two Ukrainian ammunition depots near the communities of Avdeyevka and Slavyansk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the general added.

Russian forces eliminated roughly 75 Ukrainian troops in the southern Donetsk area in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

In the southern Donetsk direction, army aviation and artillery of the battlegroup East inflicted damage on units of the Ukrainian army’s 72nd mechanized, 1st tank and 35th marine infantry brigades near Ugledar and Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the spokesman said.

"As many as 75 Ukrainian troops, one tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, three armored combat vehicles and two motor vehicles were destroyed in that area in the past 24 hours," the general specified.

Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian mortar squad in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kherson direction, a mortar team of the Ukrainian army was destroyed in counter-battery fire near the settlement of Olgovka in the Kherson Region," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroyed the aircraft industry plant in Kharkov engaged in modernizing unmanned aerial vehicles and loitering munitions for the Ukrainian army, Konashenkov reported.

"In Kharkov, workshops of the aviation industry enterprise modernizing unmanned aerial vehicles and loitering munitions were obliterated," he said.

Russian forces wiped out three Ukrainian ammunition and fuel depots in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In areas near the settlements of Novomikhailovka, Ugledar and Dobrovolye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, three Ukrainian ammunition and fuel depots were destroyed by artillery fire," the spokesman said.

Russian forces struck the headquarters of the Ukrainian army’s 79th air assault brigade in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Also, the headquarters of the Ukrainian army’s 79th air assault brigade was struck near the settlement of Krasnogorovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

Russian air defense forces destroyed 11 HIMARS rockets and 10 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the past 24 hours, air defense capabilities shot down 11 rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and also destroyed 10 unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Zhitlovka, Stelmakhovka and Krasnorechenskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Skelky and Verkhnyaya Krinitsa in the Zaporozhye Region, Staraya Zburyevka in the Kherson Region, Trudovskoy and Kuibyshevo in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Tabayevka in the Kharkov Region," the spokesman said.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 382 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 206 helicopters, 3,046 unmanned aerial vehicles, 403 surface-to-air missile systems, 7,789 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,011 multiple rocket launchers, 4,022 field artillery guns and mortars and 8,291 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.

Exiled opposition leader accuses Western-backed forces of using neo-Nazis in Ukraine

FILE PHOTO. Ukrainian nationalists and servicemen of the Azov battalion demonstrate in Kiev. © AFP PHOTO/GENYA SAVILOV

Radical political forces are a weapon that Western-backed actors in Ukraine routinely use to stifle opponents, exiled opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk believes. The US and its allies are willing to overlook this as long as it serves their interests, he said.

“Neo-Nazism is the cudgel that pro-Western forces turn to when they lose. Then, the mask of democracy and peacemaking comes off instantly, and opponents find themselves back in the harsh reality of political cannibalism,” the Ukrainian politician wrote in an analysis of the ongoing conflict, which was published on Wednesday by RIA Novosti. 

Medvedchuk’s Opposition Platform – For Life party had the largest faction among opposition parties in the Ukrainian parliament before the government of President Vladimir Zelensky cracked down on it and ultimately banned it for supposedly being pro-Russian.

Fighters of the Viking group destroyed the Ukrainian communications center near Maryinka - the enemy was hiding behind the temple, but thanks to the Krasnopol high-precision guided projectile, the temple building was not damaged

The party was targeted because it had every chance to topple Zelensky at the ballot box, he said, citing opinion polls, but a “system of oppression” was deployed against it.

Historically, in Ukraine “as soon as a non pro-Western force gains ground, scores higher approval, pro-Western forces do everything to ban it,” he wrote. Radicals in the media “slander opposition politicians, threaten their supporters and urge a mass crackdown.”

Today, any speech in the pro-Western media is hailed as freedom of expression, whereas outlets allowing dissent are “declared propagandists, and its journalists branded traitors” and blacklisted.

The West never sees this as incitement, as a call for violence and lawlessness, as it never sees the ensuing violence and lawlessness.

Meanwhile, thugs who are used to suppress the opposition act with impunity in Ukraine, even maiming and killing their targets, Medvedchuk asserted. Any attempt to defend oneself is treated as “aggression and separatism.”

“Today, Ukraine is in the hands of people, who don’t speak Ukrainian [as their mother tongue] and who are mostly not ethnic Ukrainians,” the politician stated. “They turned the Ukrainian language into a ‘friend-or-foe’ designator to cover up their true intentions.”

The Ukrainian case stands out because of the resources that the US and its allies have invested into tearing the country away from Russia and showcasing it as an example of pro-Western development, Medvedchuk believes.

If Kiev fails, the “political bankruptcy” of Washington’s global leadership would be exposed, as will the failure of EU expansion, which the politician compared to the construction of the Tower of Babel in terms of the chaos it produces.

The European Union could not cope with the management of the countries that had already joined it, the accession of Ukraine to the bloc would add chaos that is already in abundance, Viktor Medvedchuk, the chairman of the political council of the Opposition Platform — For Life party, banned in Ukraine, said.

The EU did not want to take in such a large and unsettled country as Ukraine, but not because it is a poor country — Ukraine is not deprived of either natural resources or hardworking people, the politician noted.

"The problem is that the European Union could not cope with the management of the countries that had already joined it. The addition of another large country would add chaos, which is already in abundance," Medvedchuk wrote in an article for Sputnik..

At the same time, the EU was not going to lose Ukraine as an influence area either, he said, adding that if Ukraine falls under the influence a renewed Russia, then "the European myth will be shattered just like the American one."

"The destruction of the European myth is the beginning of the EU's collapse, and the European bureaucracy will lose its power forever," Medvedchuk added. The prolonged Ukraine conflict is exhausting the European Union and benefiting the United States, which makes a clash of interests between Washington and Brussels "inevitable," Viktor Medvedchuk said.

"The EU and the US have different interests. The war is primarily depleting the EU, while the US is benefiting from the continuation of the war. Therefore, clashes of US and EU interests are inevitable. And Europeans will soon find [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, who is milking Europe like a cow, not so cute and attractive anymore," Medvedchuk said.

Moreover, most of the world no longer considers the West "so nice and attractive" after it has demonstrated its willingness "to go against all its own rules, throw off the mask of civilization just in order to benefit and keep the rest of the world in tight rein," the politician said.

At the same time, Western leaders have already realized the failure of their aspirations, forcing them to start preparing citizens for hard times, Medvedchuk added.

"So, all this cannot but lead us into a fairer world, a new system of security, international relations and trade, multipolarity and mutual respect. Some very 'democratic' politicians may not want to respect other people's opinions and interests today, but they will have to do so tomorrow," the politician said.

By rejecting peace with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky has thrown Ukraine's interests under the bus in an effort to please NATO, Viktor Medvedchuk said. "Zelensky is obviously defending NATO's position, rather than Ukraine's position. He has repeatedly rejected peace to demand weapons from the West with which he could defeat Russia on the battlefield. He has no weapons, no money and no sound logistical base — all of which has taken a heavy toll on Europe," the politician argued.

Medvedchuk, whose party was the largest opposition force in Ukraine before it was banned last year, said that the 2014 protests in Kiev showed "how fair and harmless public demands could be manipulated into a coup and bloody executions of opponents," while protesters "became hostage to the situation and were forced to back putschists."

The Ukrainian politician argued that the 2014 coup was aimed at stifling progress in Ukraine and sacrificing the interests of its people for those of the West.

"The West does not care at all about the Ukrainian culture or language. It needs fighters who will defend its interests and, more specifically, the US monopoly on the world leadership… Those who doubt the fairness of US hegemony are declared heretics, insane and are punished," he said.

In 2021, Medvedchuk, a longtime supporter of Ukraine's rapprochement with Russia and an opponent of the country's accession to the EU, was accused of high treason and illegal exploitation of natural resources in Crimea and placed under house arrest. Shortly after Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, Medvedchuk escaped house arrest, but was soon detained by the Ukrainian Security Service on Zelenskyy's order. In September, he was released from Ukrainian captivity as a result of a prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kiev.

Korban tewas akibat gempa Suriah-Turki mendekati 10.000

Seorang anak melihat setelah gempa mematikan di Kahramanmaras, Turki, 8 Februari 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYRead less

Keluarga-keluarga di selatan Turki dan Suriah menghabiskan malam kedua dalam cuaca dingin yang membekukan pada Rabu ketika tim penyelamat yang kewalahan berusaha menarik orang-orang dari reruntuhan dua hari setelah gempa besar yang menewaskan lebih dari 9.600 orang.

Di Turki, puluhan jenazah, beberapa ditutupi selimut dan seprai dan lainnya di dalam kantong jenazah, dijejerkan di luar rumah sakit di provinsi Hatay.

Banyak orang di zona bencana terpaksa tidur di mobil mereka atau di jalan-jalan di bawah selimut, takut kembali ke gedung-gedung yang diguncang oleh gempa berkekuatan 7,8 SR, yang paling mematikan di Turki sejak 1999, yang melanda pada dini hari Senin.

Relawan menyajikan makanan kepada orang-orang setelah gempa bumi di Kahramanmaras, Turki, 8 Februari 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYRead less

Tim penyelamat di sana dan di negara tetangga Suriah memperingatkan bahwa jumlah korban tewas akan terus meningkat karena beberapa orang yang selamat mengatakan bantuan belum tiba.

"Di mana tendanya, di mana truk makanannya?" kata Melek, 64, di kota Antakya, Turki selatan, menambahkan bahwa dia belum melihat tim penyelamat.

"Kami belum melihat distribusi makanan di sini, tidak seperti bencana sebelumnya di negara kami. Kami selamat dari gempa, tapi kami akan mati di sini karena kelaparan atau kedinginan di sini."

Dengan skala bencana yang semakin nyata, jumlah korban tewas meningkat di atas 7.100 di Turki. Di Suriah, yang telah hancur akibat perang selama 11 tahun, jumlah korban yang dikonfirmasi naik menjadi lebih dari 2.500 dalam semalam, menurut pemerintah Suriah dan layanan penyelamatan yang beroperasi di barat laut yang dikuasai pemberontak.

Presiden Turki Tayyip Erdogan telah mengumumkan keadaan darurat di 10 provinsi. Tetapi penduduk di beberapa kota Turki yang rusak menyuarakan kemarahan dan keputusasaan atas apa yang mereka katakan sebagai tanggapan yang lambat dan tidak memadai dari pihak berwenang.

Orang-orang melihat saat pencarian korban berlanjut setelah gempa bumi di Kahramanmaras, Turki, 8 Februari 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYRead less

Erdogan, yang menghadapi pemilihan ketat pada bulan Mei, diperkirakan akan mengunjungi beberapa daerah yang terkena dampak pada hari Rabu.

The initial quake, followed hours later by a second one almost as powerful, struck just after 4 a.m. on Monday, giving the sleeping population little chance to react.

Itu merobohkan ribuan bangunan termasuk rumah sakit, sekolah dan blok apartemen, melukai puluhan ribu, dan menyebabkan banyak orang kehilangan tempat tinggal di Turki dan Suriah utara.

Pihak berwenang Turki mengatakan sekitar 13,5 juta orang terkena dampak di daerah yang membentang sekitar 450 km (280 mil) dari Adana di barat ke Diyarbakir di timur - lebih luas dari jarak antara Boston dan Philadelphia, atau Amsterdam dan Paris.

Seseorang duduk di depan api di dekat puing-puing dan puing-puing, setelah gempa mematikan, di Kirikhan, Turki, 8 Februari 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYRead less

Di Suriah, itu membunuh orang sejauh selatan Hama, sekitar 100 km dari pusat gempa.

Badan penanggulangan bencana Turki mengatakan jumlah korban luka di atas 38.000.

'Dibawah Reruntuhan Puing-Puing'

Di kota Jandaris di Suriah utara, petugas penyelamat dan penduduk mengatakan puluhan bangunan telah runtuh.

Berdiri di sekitar puing-puing bangunan 32 apartemen, kerabat orang-orang yang pernah tinggal di sana mengatakan mereka tidak melihat seorang pun dipindahkan hidup-hidup. Kurangnya alat berat untuk memindahkan lempengan beton besar menghambat upaya penyelamatan.

Petugas penyelamat telah berjuang untuk mencapai beberapa daerah yang paling parah, tertahan oleh jalan yang hancur, cuaca buruk dan kurangnya sumber daya dan alat berat. Beberapa daerah tanpa bahan bakar dan listrik.

Bangunan yang rusak dan operasi penyelamatan terlihat setelah gempa, di Aleppo, Suriah 7 Februari 2023, dalam tangkapan layar ini diambil dari video media sosial. White Helmets/Handout via REUTERS

Pejabat bantuan menyuarakan keprihatinan khusus tentang situasi di Suriah, di mana kebutuhan kemanusiaan sudah lebih besar dari titik mana pun sejak meletusnya konflik yang telah memecah belah negara dan mempersulit upaya bantuan.

Kepala Organisasi Kesehatan Dunia mengatakan upaya penyelamatan berpacu dengan waktu, dengan peluang untuk menemukan korban yang selamat semakin berkurang setiap menit dan jam.

Di Suriah, layanan penyelamatan yang beroperasi di barat laut yang dikuasai pemberontak mengatakan jumlah korban tewas telah meningkat menjadi lebih dari 1.280 orang dan lebih dari 2.600 orang terluka.

"Jumlahnya diperkirakan meningkat secara signifikan karena keberadaan ratusan keluarga di bawah reruntuhan, lebih dari 50 jam setelah gempa," kata layanan penyelamatan di Twitter.

Semalam, menteri kesehatan Suriah mengatakan jumlah korban tewas di daerah yang dikuasai pemerintah naik menjadi 1.250, outlet berita al-Ikhbariya yang dikelola pemerintah melaporkan pada umpan Telegramnya. Jumlah yang terluka adalah 2.054, katanya.

Orang-orang berlindung di Masjid Ulu yang bersejarah setelah gempa bumi, di Diyarbakir, Turki 7 Februari 2023. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar

Gempa bumi paling mematikan di Turki dalam satu generasi telah memberi Erdogan tantangan penyelamatan dan rekonstruksi yang sangat besar, yang akan membayangi menjelang pemilihan Mei yang telah ditetapkan sebagai yang terberat dalam dua dekade kekuasaannya.

Pemungutan suara, yang terlalu dekat untuk dilakukan menurut jajak pendapat sebelum gempa, akan menentukan bagaimana Turki diatur, ke mana arah ekonominya dan peran apa yang mungkin dimainkan oleh kekuatan regional dan anggota NATO untuk meredakan konflik di Ukraina dan Timur Tengah.

Tim penyelamat bekerja di lokasi bangunan yang rusak akibat gempa mematikan di Kahramanmaras, Turki, 8 Februari 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

Pink Floyd's Roger Waters Reportedly to be Present at UNSC Meeting on Ukraine

©ALFREDO ESTRELLA

Roger Waters, ex-musician from Pink Floyd, will be present at Wednesday's United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine which was requested by Russia, the UN Source told on Tuesday.

"Tomorrow will be present Roger Waters. The topic of the meeting will be the peaceful settlement of the crisis around Ukraine in the context of increasing Western arms deliveries to this country," the UN source said.

The UN Security Council discussed Ukraine on February 6 at the request of France and Ecuador. There will also be a meeting on February 24 held at the ministerial level, marking exactly one year since Russia's special operation began.

Pink Floyd was one of the most popular music groups in the 1980s. Waters left the group in 1985 because of differences among its members. In the past, Waters has attended protests supporting freeing Assange. Some US politicians have also criticized Waters for accusing President Joe Biden of fueling the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia Asks Pink Floyd's Roger Waters To Speak At UN On Arms Shipments To Ukraine

Russia has asked Roger Waters, co-founder of the rock band Pink Floyd, to speak to the UN Security Council on February 8 at a meeting to discuss the delivery of weapons to Ukraine. Waters was criticized by supporters of Ukraine when he published an open letter in September arguing against the Western supply of weapons to Kyiv.

"Let's see what he will say. He has a position and you will hear it tomorrow," said Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia. The Security Council has met dozens of times since Russia invaded Ukraine but has been unable to take any action because Russia has veto power.

Waters has been under fire by supporters of Ukraine for supporting Russia, after he shared a letter written to the Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska on his website last September. He also recently spoke with a German newspaper, shared by Waters on his site, where he voiced controversial views on Israel, Putin, and Russia. He also said he was “really, really sad” that his former bandmates recorded a protest song with Ukrainian musician Andrij Chlywnjuk.

Among those to denounce Waters is his former Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmour. On Monday, Gilmour reposted a tweet by his wife Polly Samson — who wrote several of the band’s tracks — that denounced Waters’ support of Russia.

“Sadly @rogerwaters you are antisemitic to your rotten core,” wrote Samson on Twitter. “Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac. Enough of your nonsense.” Gilmour quote-tweeted her post, and wrote, “Every word demonstrably true.”

Last year, Waters also spoke with Rolling Stone about being on a “kill list that is supported by the Ukrainian government.” During the interview, Waters suggested that NATO is responsible for Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine but positioned that his advocating for Palestine is partially rooted in his belief that some Jewish people in the U.S. and U.K. are responsible for the actions of Israel, “particularly because they pay for everything.”

In August, 2022, Russia’s mission to the United Nations sent a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres last month asking him to address Myrotvorets, a notorious Kiev-based Internet resource with suspected links to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs which publishes the personal information of individuals deemed guilty of various “anti-Ukrainian” offenses.

Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters’ name and photo have been spotted on Myrotvorets, with the rock legend accused of spreading “anti-Ukrainian propaganda,” challenging the country’s territorial integrity, and “participating in attempts to legalize Crimea’s annexation by Russia.”

The website lists a series of statements Waters has made in interviews about Crimea, the US State Department’s documented role in the February 2014 Maidan coup d’état in Kiev, his characterizations of Russia and Russians as "brave, steadfast and unyielding," and the demonization of Russia by the West. The site also provides screenshots of a 2018 interview Waters gave to Russian media.

“Myrotvorets asks law enforcement agencies to consider this publication as a statement on this person’s commission of deliberate acts against Ukraine’s national security, against peace, human security and international law and order, as well as other offenses,” the page states.

Waters garnered headlines earlier this month after schooling CNN anchor Michael Smerconish on the causes of the Ukraine crisis after slamming “war criminal” US President Joe Biden for “fueling the fire in Ukraine.”

“Why won’t the United States of America encourage [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky to negotiate, obviating the need for this horrific, horrendous war?” Waters asked. Challenged by Smerconish, who accused the rocker of victim-blaming, Waters responded by suggesting that the conflict really started when NATO broke its promise to Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev not to expand the alliance eastward.

“I would suggest to you, Michael, that you go away and read a bit more, and then try to figure out what the United States would do if the Chinese were putting nuclear-armed missiles into Mexico and Canada,” Waters said.

Created in 2014 on the initiative of former aid to Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko, Myrotvorets gained notoriety almost immediately after several of the "enemies of Ukraine" listed on the site were assassinated, among them Ukrainian writer Oles Buzina, ex-lawmaker Ukrainian Oleg Kalashnikov, and Italian freelance photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli. Some of the entries on the so-called "enemies" include detailed personal information, including addresses and phone numbers. Others, like that of Waters, only feature general information already publicly available elsewhere.

Myrotvorets features thousands of names, including Ukrainian and foreign journalists, politicians, officials and businessmen, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Russian talk show host Vladimir Solovyov, and Sputnik and RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, US ex-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and Syrian President Bashar Assad. The resource also includes the names of more than 300 children, and hundreds of Hungarian-Ukrainians charged with illegally obtaining Hungarian citizenship.

Last month, a spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres assured that a letter sent by Russia urging him to address the notorious neo-Nazi website “will be studied.” Journalists, human rights groups, and the Russian Foreign Ministry have spent years calling for the website to be shut down.

Russian forces strike over 80 Ukrainian artillery units in past day, top brass reports

©Russian Defence Ministry/TASS

Russian forces struck over 80 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions in the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Tuesday.

"Missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 86 artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military hardware in 139 areas," the spokesman said.

Footage from the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras after the earthquake

Russian combat aircraft and artillery inflicted damage on the Ukrainian army’s manpower and equipment in the Kupyansk area, eliminating over 50 enemy troops in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, assault and army aviation aircraft and artillery of the western battlegroup delivered strikes on manpower and equipment of units of the Ukrainian army’s 14th and 92nd mechanized brigades in areas near the settlements of Ivanovka and Berestovoye in the Kharkov Region and Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

The enemy’s losses in that area in the past 24 hours "totaled over 50 Ukrainian troops, two armored combat vehicles, four motor vehicles and a D-30 howitzer," the general specified.

Russian forces destroyed over 100 Ukrainian troops in the Krasny Liman area in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, operational-tactical and army aviation aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrowers of the battlegroup Center inflicted damage on units of the Ukrainian army’s 66th mechanized, 25th airborne, 95th air assault and 81st air mobile brigades," the spokesman said.

Footage of the crew of the ATGM "Kornet" near Avdeevka. The Russian military managed to hit the Ukrainian firing point and the dugout.

Russian forces eliminated "over 100 personnel, three armored combat vehicles and two motor vehicles," the general specified.

Russian forces eliminated over 90 Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk area in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Donetsk direction, over 90 Ukrainian troops, four armored combat vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher and a Msta-B howitzer were destroyed as a result of damage inflicted on Ukrainian army units by combined firepower and offensive operations by assault teams of the southern battlegroup," the spokesman said.

Russian forces also wiped out a Ukrainian artillery ammunition depot near the settlement of Ilyichyovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the general added.

Russian forces struck two Ukrainian army brigades in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas, artillery of the battlegroup East struck manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 1st tank and 72nd mechanized brigades in areas near the settlements of Ugledar and Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

The enemy’s losses in those areas in the past 24 hours amounted to over 80 Ukrainian troops, a tank, two armored combat vehicles, two D-20 howitzers, two D-30 howitzers, and also a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer. In addition, Russian forces wiped out four Ukrainian ammunition depots near the communities of Razliv, Dobrovolye and Novoekonomicheskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the general specified.

Russian forces eliminated roughly 20 Ukrainian troops and a self-propelled howitzer in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kherson direction, as many as 20 Ukrainian troops and an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer were destroyed as a result of persistent artillery fire on amassed enemy manpower and equipment," the spokesman said.

Russian forces also wiped out a Ukrainian ammunition depot near the settlement of Tarasa Shevchenko in the Kherson Region, the general added.

Russian air defense forces shot down nine Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles and seven HIMARS and Uragan rockets over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Air defense capabilities destroyed nine Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Krasnorechenskoye, Artyomovka, Zhitlovka, Pshenichnoye, Novovodyanoye and Chervonopopovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Petrovskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Energodar in the Zaporozhye Region. In addition, they shot down seven rockets of the HIMARS and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems," the spokesman said.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 382 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 206 helicopters, 3,036 unmanned aerial vehicles, 403 surface-to-air missile systems, 7,771 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,010 multiple rocket launchers, 4,020 field artillery guns and mortars and 8,282 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation, Konashenkov reported.