Russian forces kill up to 240 Ukrainian soldiers on Donetsk front

Russia's defence ministry said on Friday that its forces continued to attack along the front line in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, claiming to have killed up to 240 Ukrainian soldiers over the past 24 hours.
"The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation," the defence ministry said in a daily briefing on the one year anniversary of Russia's invasion.
"In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern Group of Forces inflicted a comprehensive fire attack on accumulations of the enemy's manpower and equipment along the entire line of contact."
Reuters was not able to independently verify the defence ministry's claim.
The last weeks have seen Russia mount infantry assaults across frozen ground in battles described by both sides as the bloodiest of the war. Ukraine said on Thursday that its forces had repelled Russian assaults along the front line.