Russia repels 5 Ukraine ground attacks, downs 'terrorist' drone over Belgorod: Def. Ministry

Russian forces have repelled five Ukrainian ground attacks in eastern Ukraine and downed a "terrorist" drone launched by Kiev over Russia's Belgorod region, Defense Ministry declares.

A Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson stated on Sunday that attacks by Ukrainian assault groups were thwarted in the Krasnolymanskaja direction, Sputnik News reported.

“In the Krasnolymanskaja direction … units of the Russian [‘Tsentr’] Group [of Forces] repelled five attempts to attack by the assault groups of the 42nd and 67th mechanized brigades of the armed forces of Ukraine, as well as the fifth brigade of the national guard of Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.

More than 80 adversary forces were killed as a Ukrainian infantry battle vehicle, an armored vehicle, and a 120-millimeter mortar were destroyed in the operation, the Russian spokesperson added.

The reported further cited defense ministry officials as noting that units of Russian Tsentr Group of forces also repelled two Ukrainian attempted attacks in the Svatovo direction, killing ten more Ukrainian forces.

In a related development, the Defense Ministry further announced on Sunday that Russian air defense forces in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine downed a drone launched by Kiev aiming to carry out a terrorist strike.

“Today, at about 4 a.m. [01:00 GMT on Sunday], an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using one aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicle [UAV] on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted," the ministry declared, adding that Russian air defense systems detected and destroyed the drone over Belgorod region.

 “As a result of the thwarted terrorist attack, there were no casualties or damage,” it added

More than 150,000 Ukrainian troops killed or wounded: Report

The New York Times reports that more than 150,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded since the start of the war with Russia.

Ukraine, after a long delay, launched a hyped up counteroffensive in early June which has so far proved to be a major failure, suffering loss of thousands of its troops in the process. 

It has increased the number of drone and missile strikes against targets in Russia in the past weeks as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently hinted at a change in Kiev’s military tactics following its abortive counteroffensive.

Russia launched its Special Military Operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, aimed at establishing security against further eastward expansion of the US-led NATO military alliance as well as protecting east Ukraine's Donbas region from regular attacks from Kiev forces., where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under

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