Briefing by Russian Defence Ministry on 26 October

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine.

In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy with the forces of a battalion tactical group and a company of foreign mercenaries, totaling up to 500 people, launched 5 consecutive attacks on the positions of Russian troops on a narrow front in the direction of the settlement of Kuzemovka (Lugansk People’s Republic). All the enemy attacks have been repelled. The enemy was driven back to the initial positions by Russia’s troops, artillery fire, army and ground-attack aviation, and heavy flamethrower systems. More than 160 militants, 5 tanks, 9 armoured fighting vehicles, and 10 pickup trucks have been neutralised.

In the Krasny Liman direction, Russia’s troops eliminated over 70 Ukraine’s personnel, 2 tanks, 5 infantry fighting vehicles, an armoured personnel carrier, and 5 pickup trucks.

In the Nikolayev–Krivoy Rog direction, the enemy, with up to 2 battalion tactical groups, failed attempts to attack in the directions of Ishchenka, Bruskinskoye, Pyatikhatki, and Koshara (Kherson region). The defeat resulted in destroying up to 125 Ukrainian servicemen, seven armoured fighting vehicles, and 13 vehicles.

Operational-tactical and Army Aviation, missile troops and artillery annihilated 2 command posts in Artemovsk (Donetsk People’s Republic) and Konstantinovka (Zaporozhye region) as well as 59 artillery units in firing positions, manpower, and military hardware in 177 areas.

A signal node of a Ukrainian group of troops has been destroyed near Prikolotnoye (Kharkov region). Close to Dnepropetrovsk, an oil terminal was destroyed, from which diesel fuel was supplied to the troops in Donbas.

Russia’s air defence systems shot down 10 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the settlements of Egorovka, Zeleny Gai, Pavlovka, Nikolskoye, Zavitne Bazhannya, Kirillovka (Donetsk People’s Republic), Poltava (Lugansk People’s Republic), Novaya Tarasovka (Kharkov region) and Novaya Kamenka (Kherson region).

Moreover, 13 shells of the U.S. HIMARS MLRS were shot down over the settlements of Burgunka, Olgovka, Nikolayevka, Novaya Kakhovka, Ponyatovka, Nikolskoye (Kherson region) and Novonikolskoye (Lugansk People’s Republic).

In total, 326 airplanes and 162 helicopters, 2,349 unmanned aerial vehicles, 383 anti-aircraft missile systems, 6,084 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 874 combat vehicles equipped with multiple rocket-launching systems, 3,527 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 6,791 units of special military hardware have been destroyed during the special military operation.