More than 100 militants, including up to 20 American mercenaries, were killed by the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) during a special operation in Ukraine near Kharkov.

This was stated during a briefing on the morning of August 20 by the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov.

“More than 100 militants, including up to 20 American mercenaries, were killed in the area of ​​​​the Andreevka settlement in the Kharkov region as a result of a strike by high-precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces on the combat positions of the Kraken nationalist formation and a unit of foreign mercenaries,” he said.

In addition, as a result of other attacks by the Russian Aerospace Forces in the Dnepropetrovsk region, the battalion of the 110th Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was almost completely destroyed, Konashenkov said.

According to him, the losses of the unit amounted to at least 200 nationalists killed and more than 150 wounded.

In the Mykolaiv and Dnepropetrovsk regions, as a result of attacks on the combat positions of the tank battalion of the 28th mechanized brigade, as well as the 212th rifle battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the total irretrievable losses of the enemy amounted to more than 20 people, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Another 130 nationalists and eight units of special vehicles were destroyed in the north of Kharkov as a result of a strike by ground-based precision weapons on the area where personnel and military equipment of the 27th battalion of the 127th territorial defense brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were concentrated.

In addition, on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), more than 200 personnel, two tanks and seven special vehicles were destroyed by high-precision air-launched missiles in the 3rd and 12th battalions of the 25th airborne brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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At the same time, aviation, artillery and missile troops continue to strike at military targets on the territory of Ukraine.

So, seven command posts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the 53rd mechanized and 58th motorized infantry brigades, as well as manpower and military equipment in 187 districts, were hit during the day.

Russian troops destroyed a Buk-M1 self-propelled launcher of the Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system, four ammunition depots and three fuel depots in the DPR and the Kherson region, as well as a US-made AN / TPQ-36 counter-battery radar in the Kramatorsk region.

In turn, air defense systems destroyed six Ukrainian drones and shot down 13 shells of Vilkha multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) in the air in the area of ​​the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and near the city of Melitopol.

In total, since the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine, 267 aircraft, 148 helicopters, 1,776 drones, 367 anti-aircraft missile systems, 4,354 tanks and other armored combat vehicles have been destroyed.

The Russian military also hit 809 MLRS combat vehicles, 3,320 field artillery pieces and mortars, as well as 4,969 units of special military vehicles.

APU unit surrendered after correspondence

The people's militia of the Donetsk People's Republic reported that a unit of the Ukrainian army surrendered after an offer sent in the Telegram messenger.

It is noted that first, an artillery strike was carried out on the positions of the Ukrainian military by the forces of the 3rd brigade of the People's Militia of the Republic.

After that, an offer to surrender was sent to the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine using Telegram.

“The unprepared and poorly armed mobilized Armed Forces of Ukraine, sent by Ukrainian generals to die in Zaitsevo, chose life and took advantage of the offer of the NM of the DPR to voluntarily surrender their weapons,” the People’s Militia said in a statement.

It is noted that as a result, a whole unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine laid down its arms and surrendered, and its positions came under the control of the forces of the republic.

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Meanwhile, the head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said earlier that in some sectors of the front, the Ukrainian military faced a shortage of ammunition.

“This is the data that our intelligence gives us, and in fact what we feel in certain sectors of the front, where our units no longer face such serious resistance,” Pushilin said on the air of the Rossiya 1 TV channel.

For this reason, the artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine works more precisely, and not “in areas”, as it was recently, the head of the DPR noted.

The situation in Donetsk

On the morning of August 20, the Armed Forces of Ukraine also fired at a penal colony in Donetsk.

It is reported that a massive fire was recorded at about 10:15 local time (coincides with Moscow).

As a result of the shelling, three convicts received shrapnel wounds of varying severity, they were provided with first aid.

Later, they were taken to medical facilities in Donetsk.

The degree of destruction of buildings and objects of the correctional institution is currently being established.

In addition, on the night of August 20, the Verkhnekalmiusskaya filtration station was shut down in the DPR for three days.

As the RT correspondent was told in the DPR Ministry of Emergency Situations, this was due to the too low water level in the end section of the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal.

Thus, until August 23, there will be no drinking water supply to residential buildings and organizations in Donetsk.