Donetsk: The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Friday that its forces continued military operations on several fronts in the Donetsk People's Republic and other Ukrainian regions, reporting territorial gains and heavy losses inflicted on Ukrainian forces.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the ministry stated that units of the 'Center' group had liberated the settlements of Sukhitskoye, Bankovka, Vladimirovka, and Rusin Yar in the Donetsk People's Republic. Ukrainian forces reportedly lost up to 2,840 troops, along with two tanks, 30 armored fighting vehicles, three U.S.-made armored personnel carriers, four Turkish-made armored vehicles, 64 other vehicles, and 19 field artillery pieces.

The statement further detailed that between August 16 and 22, units of the 'South' group advanced deep into Ukrainian defenses and took control of Aleksandro-Sholtino and Katerinovka in Donetsk.

The ministry also reported that the 'East' group of Russian forces liberated Voronoye and Novgorodivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region, inflicting losses of more than 1,600 Ukrainian troops. The Ukrainian forces also reportedly lost five tanks, 25 armored vehicles, 79 cars, 15 artillery systems, nine of which were NATO-made, along with six electronic warfare stations and three logistics depots.

Furthermore, the Russian Defense Ministry noted that its forces carried out six large-scale precision strikes during the week. These strikes targeted facilities of Ukraine's military-industrial complex, transportation infrastructure used by the armed forces, ammunition depots in Donbas, tactical 'Sapsan' missile storage sites, UAV launch and storage facilities, training centers, and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian units, nationalists, and foreign mercenaries.

In the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, the 'North' group reportedly inflicted additional losses of more than 1,120 Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian losses also included three tanks, 23 armored fighting vehicles, and 74 cars, alongside the destruction of 26 artillery pieces (three of NATO origin), three electronic warfare stations, and 41 depots of ammunition, fuel, and supplies.

The statement concluded by noting that Russian air defense systems intercepted during the same period 25 guided aerial bombs, 11 U.S.-made HIMARS rocket launchers, and nearly 1,500 drones.