Russia Loses 29 Artillery Systems, 16 APVs in a Day: Ukraine

Russian forces lost 29 artillery systems and 16 armored personnel vehicles (APVs) in the past 24 hours, Kyiv said on Sunday.

Moscow's troops have lost a total of 3,258 artillery systems and 7,398 APVs since the outbreak of full-scale war in February 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's forces said in a post to social media on Sunday. Five APVs were taken out of action along with 19 artillery systems over the previous 24-hour period, the General Staff said on Saturday.

Newsweek could not independently verify these figures. The Russian Defense Ministry has been contacted for comment via email.

Artillery has been crucial for both sides in the ongoing war, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies labeling the conflict an "artillery war" back in January. In April, the Institute for the Study of War think tank said Russia was "heavily relying on artillery to offset key shortcomings" among its forces.

Also on Sunday, the General Staff said Russian forces had launched seven missile strikes and 70 air strikes on Saturday, which had caused an unspecified number of civilian casualties.

Moscow has "restarted frequent long-range missile strikes deep into Ukraine" since early May, the British Defense Ministry said on Sunday. These strikes are likely carried out to impact Ukraine's air defenses, the ministry said in an update posted to Twitter .

Heavy fighting is continuing in the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the General Staff added in its Sunday morning update. The city remains at "the epicenter of the fighting," the Ukrainian military added.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that Russian troops had supported Wagner mercenary fighters in capturing Bakhmut after months of fighting. Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video posted to Telegram on Saturday tha t Russia now controlled all of Bakhmut, adding it was "fully taken" at midday on May 20.

But Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar described the situation as "critical" in Bakhmut on Saturday, saying reports of Bakhmut's fall to Russian forces were "premature."

"The enemy failed to surround Bakhmut," Maliar said in an updated post to social media on Sunday. "The advance of our troops in the suburbs along the flanks, which is still ongoing, makes it very difficult for the enemy to stay in Bakhmut," she said on Telegram.

The city has been destroyed, leaving "nothing" left, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in comments to the media on Sunday.

"Bakhmut is only in our hearts, there is nothing," Zelensky added.