Moscow, December 30 (QNA) - The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that its forces have taken control of two new settlements in eastern Ukraine and eliminated 1,080 Ukrainian soldiers, while its air defenses managed to shoot down 18 Ukrainian drones.

In a statement, the ministry said that the Russian armed forces have seized control of the settlement of Lukyanovskoye in the Zaporizhzhia region and the settlement of Boguslavka, in the Kharkiv region, adding that Russian forces were able to advance on all fronts in the special military operation zone.

It added that the Russian air forces, including tactical aircraft, attack drones, as well as missile and artillery units, carried out strikes on energy facilities belonging to Ukraine's military-industrial complex, as well as on temporary deployment sites of the Ukrainian armed forces in 150 areas. (QNA)