Russia claims Ukraine's 68 military elements were destroyed overnight

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Tuesday it hit Ukraine's 68 military elements over the past day, including a large fuel base and a total of three Buk M-1 and Osa type air defense systems.

The Russian army also hit three control points, one radar station, five multiple rocket launchers, two ammunition depots, three fuel and lubricants depots, three unmanned aerial vehicles, and 19 areas of concentration of Ukrainian military equipment, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing in Moscow.

"In total, since the beginning of the special operation, the Russian military has destroyed 123 aircraft and 74 helicopters, 311 unmanned aerial vehicles, 1,738 tanks and other armored vehicles, 181 multiple rocket launchers, 726 field artillery and mortars, as well as 1,592 units of special vehicles," he said.

A large fuel base located near Ukraine's western settlement of Klevan in the Rivne region and supplying fuel to Kyiv for the Ukrainian army was hit with high-precision air-launched cruise missiles, he noted.

In a separate statement, Vitaly Kim, the mayor of Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv city, said the Russian military destroyed the building of the city administration.

He also said the Russian military hit other objects on the territory of the city, and that its air units departed from Crimea in the direction of Mykolaiv again on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, a fresh round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine brokered by Turkiye has started in Istanbul.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has met international outrage with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,151 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,824 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 3.9 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.