Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over week before ceasefire

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Russian troops liberated two communities in the Sumy Region and the Donetsk People’s Republic over the week of May 2-8 in the special military operation in Ukraine before the ceasefire declared by Russia on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations came into effect, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported. "Battlegroup North units took control of the settlement of Miropolye in the Sumy Region through active operations. <…> Battlegroup South units liberated the settlement of Krivaya Luka in the Donetsk People’s Republic through active offensive operations," the ministry said in a statement. All the Russian battlegroups fully ceased combat operations in the special military operation area in compliance with the truce declared by President of Russia Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations and stayed at their positions from the start of May 8, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported. "Pursuant to a decision by the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces, all the Russian battlegroups fully ceased combat operations in the special military operation area from 12:00 a.m. Moscow time on May 8 for the days of celebrating the 81st anniversary of the [Soviet Union’s] Victory [over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War] and stayed at their lines and positions," the ministry said. The Ukrainian military continued striking Russian army positions and civilian facilities in the border areas of the Belgorod and Kursk Region by drones and artillery despite the truce declared by Russia for Victory Day celebrations, the ministry reported. "Despite the ceasefire that was declared, Ukrainian armed formations continued delivering strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery on our troops’ positions and civilian facilities in the border areas of the Belgorod and Kursk Regions," the ministry said. "In all, 1,630 ceasefire violations [by the Ukrainian side] have been registered," the ministry specified. Russian troops delivered retaliatory strikes in response to Kiev’s breaches of the truce declared by Russia for Victory Day celebrations, the ministry reported. "In these conditions, the Russian Armed Forces reacted in a tit-for-tat manner, delivering retaliatory strikes on the firing positions of multiple launch rocket systems, artillery and mortars. They also struck UAV control posts and launch sites," the ministry said. Russian troops delivered six strikes by precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles on Ukraine’s military-industrial enterprises, fuel and energy and port infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army over the week before the ceasefire declared by Russia for Victory Day celebrations came into effect, the ministry reported. "During the week of May 2-8 of this year, in response to Ukraine’s terrorist attacks on civilian facilities on Russian territory, the Russian Armed Forces delivered six combined strikes, in particular, by ground-based and air-launched long-range precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, hitting enterprises of Ukraine’s military-industrial sector, fuel and energy and port infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army, military airfields, ammunition depots, sites for the storage and launch of attack unmanned aerial vehicles and temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries," the ministry said. Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 1,535 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed five enemy armored combat vehicles in its areas of responsibility over the week before the ceasefire declared by Russia on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations came into effect, the ministry reported. Over the week, Battlegroup North units "inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of five mechanized brigades, two motorized infantry brigades, an air assault brigade, an airmobile brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian army, four territorial defense brigades, a National Guard brigade and a border guard detachment of Ukraine’s Border Guard Service," the ministry said. The Ukrainian army lost more than 1,535 personnel, five armored combat vehicles, 98 motor vehicles, 14 artillery guns and eight electronic warfare stations in those frontline areas over the week, it specified. Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted more than 1,345 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed 25 enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week before the ceasefire declared by Russia on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations came into effect, the ministry reported. "During the week, Battlegroup West units inflicted losses on formations of four mechanized brigades, an assault brigade, an unmanned systems regiment of the Ukrainian army, two territorial defense brigades and a National Guard brigade," the ministry said. The Ukrainian army lost more than 1,345 personnel, 25 armored combat vehicles, including three US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, 153 motor vehicles, 20 field artillery guns and 20 electronic warfare and counterbattery radar stations in that frontline area over the week, it specified. Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 950 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed 19 enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week before the ceasefire declared by Russia on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations came into effect, the ministry reported. During the week, Battlegroup South units "inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of four mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, an airmobile brigade, an assault brigade, a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade, a territorial defense brigade and a National Guard brigade," the ministry said. The Ukrainian army lost more than 950 personnel, 19 armored combat vehicles, including a German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle, an Italian-made Puma armored personnel carrier and a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, 110 motor vehicles, 16 field artillery guns and 13 electronic warfare and counterbattery radar stations in that frontline area over the week, it specified. Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 2,130 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed 34 enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week before the ceasefire declared by Russia on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations came into effect, the ministry reported. "During the past week, Battlegroup Center units inflicted losses on formations of five mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, a jaeger brigade, two airmobile brigades, an assault brigade, an airborne brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian army, two marine infantry brigades and five National Guard brigades," the ministry said. The Ukrainian army lost more than 2,130 personnel, 34 armored combat vehicles, 62 motor vehicles, 16 artillery guns and nine electronic warfare and counterbattery radar stations in that frontline area over the week, it specified. Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted more than 2,155 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed 24 enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week before the ceasefire declared by Russia on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations came into effect, the ministry reported. "Battlegroup East units kept advancing deeper into the enemy’s defenses and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an assault brigade, three air assault brigades and four assault regiments of the Ukrainian army," the ministry said. The Ukrainian army lost more than 2,155 personnel, 24 armored combat vehicles, 47 motor vehicles and seven field artillery guns in that frontline area over the week, it specified. Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr inflicted roughly 285 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed seven enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week before the ceasefire declared by Russia on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations came into effect, the ministry reported. "Battlegroup Dnepr units improved their tactical position and inflicted losses on formations of three mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade and an unmanned systems brigade of the Ukrainian army," the ministry said. The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 285 personnel, seven armored combat vehicles, 123 motor vehicles, four field artillery guns and 19 electronic warfare and counterbattery radar stations in that frontline area over the week, it specified. Russian troops destroyed three multiple launch rocket systems of the Ukrainian army over the week before the ceasefire declared by Russia on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations came into effect, the ministry reported. "During the past week, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces destroyed a Croatian-made RAK-SA-12 multiple rocket launcher, two Grad multiple rocket launchers and two multiple launch rocket system robotized platforms," the ministry said. Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 4,385 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and six Flamingo long-range missiles over the week before the ceasefire declared by Russia on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations came into effect, the ministry reported. "Air defense capabilities shot down 44 guided aerial bombs, 18 rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, six Flamingo long-range cruise missiles, six Neptune long-range missiles and 4,385 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said. Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 671 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 284 helicopters, 144,279 unmanned aerial vehicles, 659 surface-to-air missile systems, 29,225 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,717 multiple rocket launchers, 34,830 field artillery guns and mortars and 61,124 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.