Ukraine’s armed forces sustained 39 casualties in battles with the Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic in the past day, Deputy Head of the Militia Eduard Basurin reported on Tuesday.
“In the past day, our troops eliminated 39 Ukrainian nationalists,” the press service of the DPR’s defense office quoted him as saying on its Telegram channel.
The DPR’s forces struck two D-30 howitzers at firing positions, eliminated two infantry fighting vehicles and four armored vehicles, and also seized two armored vehicles and a tank, Basurin added.
Tensions escalated along the line of contact in the Donbass republics on February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics reported the heaviest shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in months.
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
On February 24, Putin launched a special military operation in response to a request for help from the heads of the Donbass republics. The two republics commenced an operation to liberate their territories that had been under Kiev’s control.
