Ukraine: Russian military reports killing of 80 Polish fighters

Enlarge image

Debris of a building in Lysychansk: Russian troops are on the outskirts

Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / dpa

The Russian military says it has killed 80 Polish fighters in the ranks of the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine.

Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday in Moscow that 80 Polish "mercenaries" had been liquidated in a rocket attack on the "Megatex" zinc plant in the city of Kostyantynivka.

Russia describes all volunteers fighting on the side of Ukraine as mercenaries.

Kostyantynivka is located in the Donetsk region, which has been fiercely contested since the Russian offensive began on February 24.

The Ministry left open exactly when the attack took place.

Spokesman Konashenkov also reported on a rocket attack on Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, in which 300 soldiers were killed.

All in all, the lieutenant general put the Ukrainian losses from air, rocket and artillery attacks alone at 780 "nationalists" within 24 hours.

This information cannot be independently verified.

In the past few days, the Russian armed forces had taken several towns in the Sievarodonetsk-Lysychansk conurbation.

The first of the two major cities is now under Russian control.

In addition, troops loyal to Moscow are stationed on the southern outskirts of Lyssychansk.

If the city falls into the hands of the attackers, Putin's troops will control all cities in the Luhansk region.

Neither Sieverodonetsk nor Lysychansk have much military use, they are mainly about political goals.

Once the whole oblast is conquered, it could declare its independence - or even its affiliation with Russia.

lov/AFP/dpa