Map of the special operation in Ukraine on December 16

A special military operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass has been conducted by Russia since February 24, 2022. You can track the progress of the joint forces of Russia, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), as well as a map of military operations on December 16 in the Izvestia material.

The North group of troops defeated formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in a number of settlements in Sumy and Kharkiv regions. The enemy lost over 250 people, a Grad multiple rocket launcher combat vehicle, an artillery piece, 23 vehicles, an Israeli-made RADA radar station, an electronic warfare (EW) station and three material depots.

As a result of active actions, units of the Zapad group of forces liberated the settlement of Novoplatonovka in the Kharkiv region. Enemy manpower and equipment were also hit in a number of settlements in the Kharkiv region and the DPR. The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to more than 220 soldiers and four armored combat vehicles. 18 vehicles, three artillery pieces, an electronic warfare station and three ammunition depots were destroyed.

The southern group of troops has taken more advantageous lines and positions. Russian military personnel defeated units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a number of settlements of the DPR. The enemy lost up to 200 soldiers, four armored combat vehicles, 13 vehicles, three artillery pieces and five ammunition depots.

The military personnel of the Center group of forces continued to destroy the encircled enemy in the residential districts of the Eastern and Western cities of Dimitrov of the DPR and liberated 120 buildings, and the cleansing of the settlements of Svetloye and Grishino is also continuing. The enemy's losses amounted to over 505 militants, four armored combat vehicles, including a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, a Grad multiple rocket launcher combat vehicle, nine vehicles and ten artillery pieces, including six Western-made ones.

The Vostok group of troops continued to advance into the depth of the enemy's defenses. Ukrainian formations were defeated in a number of settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions. The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 295 people, two tanks, two armored combat vehicles, nine vehicles, three field artillery guns and two warehouses of materiel.

Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the air defense brigade and the National Guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Orekhov, Novoandreevka, Zaporizhia region and Otradokamenka, Kherson region. Up to 50 Ukrainian militants, 19 vehicles, six field artillery guns, two electronic warfare stations and three material depots were destroyed.

Operational-tactical aircraft, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, rocket forces and artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation defeated transport infrastructure facilities involved in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, an assembly and storage shop for attack unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries in 154 areas.

180 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by air defense systems.

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According to the Ministry of Defense, since the beginning of the special military operation, 669 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 103,362 unmanned aerial vehicles, 639 anti-aircraft missile systems, 26,562 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,633 multiple rocket launchers, 31948 field artillery guns and mortars, 49167 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed.

Watch more relevant videos and details about the situation in Donbass on the Izvestia TV channel

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