Russia claims control of Ostapovskoye - Ukraine suffers heavy casualties.
Russia claims control of Ostapovskoye in the Dnepropetrovsk region, while Ukraine reports heavy casualties on various fronts.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•12/12/2025
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on December 9th that its forces had gained control of the Ostapovskoye settlement in the Dnepropetrovsk region within the past 24 hours. This is seen as a new advance on the central-eastern front, where fighting has intensified in recent weeks. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that controlling the Ostapovskoye region is crucial because it opens a corridor for military advances and puts pressure on Ukraine's defense system. The importance of the region lies in its control of access routes to strategic targets in the west, rather than its territorial size.
On the same day, Moscow released a report stating that Ukraine had suffered significant losses on multiple fronts. In addition to personnel losses, Kyiv also lost a significant portion of its key military equipment, including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, ammunition depots, and battlefield electronics – crucial elements directly impacting its defensive resilience. In the Northern Task Force's operational area, Russia claims to have inflicted losses on Ukrainian ground units, paratroopers, and territorial defense forces. Fighting is concentrated around the Sumy-Kharkov axis, where five armored vehicles, ammunition depots, and motorized vehicles were destroyed. In the west, fighting is concentrated around the Kupyansk-Oskol axis. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Ukrainian forces suffered losses in both personnel and equipment, including 7 tanks, 1 British-made Spartan armored vehicle, and several ammunition depots. Russia described the operation along the left bank of the Oskol River as "an effective offensive," indicating an effort to tighten pressure on the enemy's front lines.
On the southern front, Russia claims to have inflicted significant damage on Ukrainian forces and destroyed numerous combat vehicles at the hotspots of Seversk, Minkovka, and Konstantinovka in the Donetsk region. Russian statistics indicate that Ukraine lost additional vehicles of US and Canadian origin, including Stryker and Senator armored vehicles. The strongest offensive was recorded in the central direction, where Russia claimed to have improved its tactical position and closed in on numerous settlements in Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk. At the same time, these forces continued to tighten the encirclement and attack Ukrainian troops at Dimitrov, reflecting the goal of penetrating deep into Kyiv's key defensive lines. The Eastern Task Force, operating in the Zaporozhye-Dnepropetrovsk region, is believed to have destroyed numerous pieces of equipment and struck a Ukrainian supply depot. This is a strategically important area connecting different control zones, so any developments here could significantly alter the operational map. In addition to the main fronts, the Dnipro Task Force reportedly destroyed a Ukrainian electronic jamming station. The scale of fighting there was smaller, but developments suggest the conflict continues to spread along the Dnipro River – a crucial dividing line where both sides seek to open or close each other's movement corridors.
At a deeper operational level, Russia said it attacked a Ukrainian military- industrial facility and a long-range UAV logistics system. Firepower, including fighter jets, suicide drones, missiles, and artillery, targeted a total of 157 targets, including assembly plants, ammunition depots, and troop deployment sites. In the air, Moscow claimed to have shot down a Su-27 fighter jet and intercepted 280 UAVs, along with 13 HIMARS missiles, within 24 hours. This is considered one of the largest interceptions since the start of the campaign, reflecting the increasing intensity of UAV and long-range missile use.
Overall, Russia claims that tens of thousands of Ukrainian military assets have been destroyed since the start of the campaign, ranging from UAVs and helicopters to armored vehicles and artillery. While this cannot be independently verified, the figures indicate a significant level of attrition, and the situation in Ukraine remains volatile daily under multi-directional pressure.
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