MOSCOW, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian forces have taken control of two settlements in the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours during a special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Thursday.
Russian forces seized the settlement of Fyodorovka Vtoraya and Pavlovka in the Donetsk region through decisive operations, the ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, units of the Russian Armed Forces carried out strikes on 148 areas, targeting energy and transport infrastructure facilities used to support the Ukrainian army's operations, sites for the preparation and launch of long-range drones, as well as temporary deployment areas for Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries.
Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 356 Ukrainian drones and six guided aerial bombs during the period, it added. ■
