Russia Says Two Military Commanders Killed in East Ukraine

Russia said Sunday that two of its military commanders had been killed in combat near the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

In a rare announcement of its losses on the battlefield, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement that the commander of the 4th motorised rifle brigade, Vyacheslav Makarov, and Yevgeny Brovko, deputy commander of the Army Corps for military-political work, had been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine.

The announcement came as battles raged for control of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk. Colonel Makarov was killed as his brigade repelled attacks by Ukrainian troops south of the settlement of Krasne, the defence ministry said in a statement.

"Two attacks of the enemy have been repelled," the statement said. "As a third attack was being repelled, the brigade commander was seriously wounded and died during the evacuation from the battlefield."

Brovko was killed as Russian troops repelled attacks elsewhere, the ministry said, saying he "died heroically, having received multiple shrapnel wounds".

Moscow also said Sunday that Russian forces had struck Western arm depots and Ukrainian troops in the western city of Ternopil and the eastern town of Petropavlivka.

Russia’s armed forces “delivered a strike with high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons at the points of deployment of the Ukrainian armed forces,” the defence ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

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“Places of storage of ammunition, weapons and military equipment received from Western countries” were also struck, it said, adding that "all" targets had been hit.

Russia targeted Ternopil as Ukraine's Eurovision act Tvorchi, who hail from the western town, performed in Liverpool on Saturday night.

"Our hometown... was bombed by Russia while we sang on the Eurovision stage about our steel hearts, indomitability and will," Tvorchi posted, dedicating their performance to "all cities of Ukraine that are shelled every day."