Doha: The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today that its forces had taken control of a new town in eastern Ukraine, with it military units reaching the border with Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and killing 1,360 Ukrainian soldiers, while their air defenses shot down 131 drones.

According to Qatar News Agency, the ministry stated in a statement that as a result of active and decisive actions by units of the Russian Southern Forces, the town of Zarya in Donetsk Oblast was taken. It noted that Russian forces targeted Ukrainian armed forces in several areas, resulting in the loss of several armored combat vehicles, personnel carriers, vehicles, artillery, ammunition depots, electronic warfare stations, and radars.

The report indicated that Russian warplanes, drones, missile and artillery forces, a drone production workshop, storage sites, and a training center for drone operators were targeted.

The Ukrainian military announced earlier today that the number of Russian military deaths and injuries since the beginning of the war between Moscow and Kyiv has risen to approximately 996,150, including approximately 1,120 killed or wounded in the past 24 hours.

Reports, issued by both countries regarding field data, are conflicting; and it is impossible to verify these data from an independent source, given the circumstances of the war and the ongoing fighting since February 2022.