The anti-terrorist operation (ATO) forces in the early hours of Monday during a counterattack took key positions near the village of Starohnativka, Volnovakha district, Donetsk region, formerly held by illegal armed groups, the Defense Ministry of Ukraine reported.

" he enemy was stopped and pushed two or three kilometers back. Our units have seized key heights that were previously controlled by terrorist groups. The enemy suffered considerable losses both in terms of manpower and in equipment. Unfortunately, seven Ukrainian soldiers were injured during the fight," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported on its website.

According to the Defense Ministry, a group of militants backed by ten tanks, ten infantry fighting vehicles and other equipment around 03:25 on August 10, "after a massive artillery barrage" began an offensive on the stronghold of the 72th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Starohnativka area.

"The defense minister of Ukraine and the chief of the General Staff – commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have immediately reported this to the president of Ukraine and notified the OSCE representatives, after which they decided to bring the Ukrainian artillery to certain positions. Thanks to the measures that were taken, and decisive and professional actions of servicemen of the 72th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Force of Ukraine, the enemy was stopped and pushed back," the ministry said.

In turn, a representative of the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps, Olena Bilozerska, reported that at least four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and six wounded in the overnight battle near the village of Bila Kamianka located three kilometers east of Starohnativka. "Our losses are as follows: four killed, including one of the fighters of the 72nd brigade and three of the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps. According to preliminary information, the number of wounded members of the volunteer corps is six. The number of wounded soldiers is to be confirmed. All of the wounded have been hospitalized. The enemy also suffered considerable losses, their numbers are being established," Bilozerska wrote on her Facebook page on Monday morning.

According to her, the fight in the vicinity of Bila Kamianka took place in the early hours of Monday and has already ended. "At night, the enemy broke through the positions of the 72nd brigades, after which the military with the assistance from the Right Sector Volunteer Corps, who promptly came to the aid, managed to push the enemy back to its previous position and to move forward a little bit. But they were unable to consolidate there because the enemy received reinforcement of a large number of armored vehicles. Also their powerful artillery was active all the time," Bilozerska said.