Moscow, Dec 25 The Russian Defence Ministry said on Thursday that units of its Southern Group of Forces had taken control of the settlement of Sviato-Pokrovske in the Donetsk region.
"As a result of decisive actions, units of the Southern Group of Forces liberated the settlement of Sviato-Pokrovske in the Donetsk region," the ministry said in a statement.
Additionally, Russian air defence systems shot down six aerial bombs, one US-made HIMARS rocket, and 472 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles in the special military operation zone over the past 24 hours, the ministry added, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, two oil storage tanks caught fire at the southern Russian port of Temryuk after a drone attack, though no casualties were reported, authorities in the Krasnodar region said Thursday, based on preliminary information.
The total fire area is approximately 2,000 square metres. And 70 personnel and 18 pieces of equipment are involved in the firefighting effort.
A separate drone strike overnight targeted the village of Nikolaevka in the Krasnodar region, damaging multiple industrial structures and farm equipment.
On Monday, Ukrainian drones attacked the port of Taman in the Volna settlement, damaging two piers and two tankers. In addition, two storage tanks were damaged by the falling wreckage of intercepted drones.
Temryuk and Taman are major seaports on the Black Sea, vital to Russia's export of oil and petroleum products.
Earlier this week, Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was killed in a car explosion in Moscow.
According to the Russian security agencies, an explosive device was planted under a car and detonated on Yasenevaya Street in southern Moscow on Monday morning. Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff, died from injuries.
An investigation has been launched into the murder, with authorities examining multiple possible motives, including alleged involvement by Ukrainian special services, it said.
--IANS
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