The Russian Defense Ministry announced today that its forces have taken control of the town of Gilanoye Pervoy in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

The ministry said in a statement that its forces were able to target Ukrainian forces in the Lipetsovsky and Volchansky directions and repel three counterattacks, noting that Ukrainian losses over the past 24 hours amounted to about 670 Ukrainian soldiers, two armored combat vehicles, three pickup trucks and a number of field guns.

Earlier today, the Ukrainian Air Force announced that it had shot down 72 of the 76 drones launched by Russia over 12 regions, including the capital, Kiev.