Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that nearly 4,<> Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded in a week as Russian forces repelled Ukrainian attacks on the eastern Donetsk, Zabarozhya and Kherson fronts.

According to the ministry, 46 Ukrainian Hemars missiles were intercepted on various axes of the fighting, and part of the stockpiles of winged missiles and depleted uranium shells delivered by the West to Kiev were destroyed.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian army said that its air defenses intercepted 15 booby-trapped drones launched by the Russians towards the southeastern Dnipro province, noting that its forces fought 30 armed clashes on all battlefronts in the past 24 hours.

He also confirmed that he would continue his attacks in the Donbass and Bachmut region, and that he was continuing his counter-offensive towards Molotovol in the Zaporizhia province, where he announced "heavy losses" to the Russian armed forces in the towns of Pervevi and Rabotin.


Ukrainian penetration

On the other hand, a Ukrainian general leading the counteroffensive in the south of the country announced that Ukrainian forces managed to breach the lines of Russian forces in the region.

"On the left flank (near the village of Qarbov) we have made a breakthrough and continue to advance," General Oleksandr Tarnavsky told CNN, while acknowledging that progress was "slower than it had hoped" for Kiev.

Tarnavsky said a major breakthrough of the counteroffensive would be the recapture of the city of Tukmak, about 20 km from the front line, which Russian forces captured at the start of the war.

Retaking the city would allow Ukrainian forces to advance further towards Russian-held Melitobol and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Tarnavsky stressed that he did not agree with some expectations that winter would lead to a slowdown in the advance of Ukrainian forces.


Attack on Crimea

The developments come as Russia-annexed Crimea came under the second such missile attack in 24 hours.

Mikhail Razvogaev, the Russian governor of the city of Sevastopol, said that air defenses repelled a missile attack that landed debris in its port, and its authorities resorted to suspending passenger traffic in the Gulf of Sevastopol.

Ukraine announced earlier today that its attack on a Russian base in Crimea targeted a meeting of the Russian naval command that killed and wounded a number of its members, including commanders of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.


Canadian Aid

Politically, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth 483 million US dollars, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is on a visit to Canada.

Trudeau announced during his meeting with Zelensky that the aid will also include training on F-16 fighter jets, and funds allocated for the purchase of 50 armored vehicles over 3 years, including medical evacuation vehicles, which will be prepared by Canadian workers in the city of London, in the Canadian province of Ontario.

This brings Canada's total aid to Ukraine so far to about $7.4 billion.