Russia's Ministry of Defence said its forces have taken control of the settlement of Omelnik in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, while claiming that Ukrainian forces suffered heavy personnel and equipment losses over the past 24 hours.

In its daily operational briefing on the war in Ukraine, the Russian Defence Ministry said fighting continued across several sectors of the front line, where Russian forces carried out offensive operations against Ukrainian positions.

According to the ministry, Ukraine lost 1,235 troops and 22 armoured combat vehicles during the past day. The figures could not be independently verified.

Russia claims advance in Zaporizhzhia

The ministry said units of Russia's Vostok (East) Group of Forces advanced deeper into Ukrainian defensive positions and established control over the settlement of Omelnik in the Zaporizhzhia region.

It added that Russian operational-tactical aviation, missile forces, artillery units and attack drones struck 147 military targets across Ukraine.

According to the statement, the targets included long-range unmanned aerial vehicle assembly workshops, storage facilities, launch sites and temporary deployment areas used by Ukrainian forces and what Russia described as foreign mercenaries.

The ministry also claimed that Russian air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 405 fixed-wing drones during the reporting period.

Fighting continues despite diplomatic efforts

The latest battlefield claims come as intense fighting continues across eastern and southern Ukraine despite ongoing international diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

The Zaporizhzhia region remains one of the key front-line areas of the war, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces seeking to improve their tactical positions. Military claims made by either side cannot always be independently verified during active combat.(ILKHA)