Donetsk, Aug 17 — DAN. Servicemen of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade and the 3rd Battalion of the 66th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian army began to abandon their positions in Donbass without permission due to heavy losses and lack of ammunition, the official representative of the Russian Defence Ministry Igor Konashenkov said.
“In Soledar, during the re-stuffing of the 10th mountain assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, more than a third of the mobilized citizens abandoned their units, departing in an unknown direction, ” he said.
According to the Russian intelligence, this brigade is currently hardly half-equipped, a similar situation is observed near Maryinka, adjacent to Donetsk from the west.
“In the Maryinka area, due to heavy losses and a shortage of ammunition, more than half of the servicemen of the 3rd battalion of the 66th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine left their combat positions without permission and left the area of hostilities, ” Konashenkov added.
Russia started a special military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine on February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the decision had been made after the DPR and LPR Heads addressed him asking for help.
The Russian leader said that Moscow is not planning to occupy Ukrainian territory, the only goal is to protect people who have been continuously shelled and subjected to other forms of genocide by Ukraine for eight years. *ot