Moscow, August 20 (QNA) - The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today that its forces had taken control of three new towns in eastern Ukraine, killed 610 soldiers, and downed 217 drones. In a statement, the ministry said Russian forces had captured a city in the Dnipropetrovsk region, along with two in the Donetsk region. It added that Ukrainian armed forces were targeted in several areas, resulting in the loss of dozens of armored vehicles, artillery, cars, ammunition depots, and electronic warfare stations. The ministry also said that Russian tactical-operational aircraft and attack drones struck facilities used to supply the Ukrainian military with fuel, as well as a drone assembly workshop, inflicting further damage. It is worth noting that since the start of the war, now in its fourth year, Russia and Ukraine have exchanged near-daily reports about repelling each other’s attacks. These claims cannot be independently verified due to the ongoing conflict, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. (QNA)