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Ukrainian special forces early on Tuesday struck two Russian military airfields, saying they successfully destroyed nine Russian military helicopters, an anti-aircraft missile system, and an ammunition warehouse.
The attacks took place in occupied Berdyansk, a southern city in the Zaporizhzhia region; and at an airfield in Luhansk, an occupied city in eastern Ukraine.
The special forces also managed to successfully damage airfield runways, Ukraine said, in what it called “Operation Dragonfly.”
“The ammunition depot in Berdyansk detonated until 4am. The detonation in Luhansk continued until 11am. Losses in the enemy’s manpower amount to dozens of dead and wounded. Bodies are still being pulled from the rubble,” Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said in a statement.
It came as Russia’s frontal assault in eastern Ukraine has led to huge losses, according to the latest claims by Ukraine, as the Kremlin denied Western accusations that they are receiving weapons from North Korea.
Geolocated footage throughout the past week has shown multiple columns of Russian armoured personnel carriers (APCs) around Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, being hit by Ukrainian artillery.
Kyiv has claimed that Russia has lost 127 tanks, 239 APCs and 161 artillery systems in the last week, though this has not been confirmed.