Ukrainian troops are pushing on with their counteroffensive against Russia's invading army in the east and south of the country, eroding Russia's "manpower and equipment," the General Staff in Kyiv reported on Monday morning.
Ukraine on Sunday conducted three air strikes on concentrations of Russian troops, weapons and military equipment, according to military officials.
Ukraine also fired missiles into two clusters of Russian personnel, weapons and military hardware, and a Russian ammunition depot, the General Staff in Kyiv said.
Russia on Sunday carried out one missile attack, 34 air strikes and 51 attacks from multiple-launch rocket systems, targeting Ukrainian troop positions as well as civilian areas, according to Ukraine's military command.
Overall, Ukrainian and Russian forces on Sunday clashed 63 times in battlefield combat, the General Staff in Kyiv said.
As part of its latest counteroffensive against Russia, Ukraine is pushing through the Zaporizhzhia region in the southeast, in a bid to reach the port of Melitopol on the Sea of Azov, as well as aiming to retake the city of Bakhmut in the east, according to news outlets.
'Large-scale drone strike on Russian territory'
Ukraine's military intelligence agency (GUR) has conducted a major drone attack on Russian territory, the Institute for the Study of War reported.
The strike was carried out overnight into Sunday and was a GUR special operation, the US think tank said, citing Ukraine's state broadcaster Suspilne.
Russia's defence ministry claimed that the country's air defences had brought down 24 Ukrainian drones during the night and on Sunday morning, over the Moscow, Tula, Kaluga, Bryansk and Smolensk regions, according to the ISW.
Russian officials also claimed that Ukraine had conducted a large artillery strike on power distribution substations in the Russian-occupied part of the eastern Donetsk region.
The attack overnight into Sunday involved the HIMARS rocket artillery, causing electricity outages in some districts and cities, according to Russian sources, the ISW reported.
Kyiv cathedral damaged in Russian drone strike
Meanwhile, a massive Russian drone attack on Kyiv at the weekend caused damage to the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the main cathedral of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Ukrainska Pravda website reported.
One of the Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles fired by Russia overnight into Saturday was shot down near the temple, and the blast wave shattered several of the windows and damaged doors, according to officials.
A nearby high-rise suffered more extensive damage, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Monday is day 642 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
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Source: The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, ISW, Ukrainska Pravda, Espreso TV