New Delhi, May 12 -- Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that Ukrainian forces suffered heavy battlefield losses over the past 24 hours as Moscow intensified military operations across several sectors of the front line, with the Tsentr battlegroup reportedly inflicting the largest number of casualties.

According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces lost more than 290 soldiers in clashes involving Russia's Tsentr battlegroup, which continues to play a central role in Moscow's offensive operations in eastern Ukraine. Russian officials also claimed the destruction of a Stryker armored personnel carrier, five armored combat vehicles, 10 military vehicles, and a field artillery gun during the fighting.

The latest battlefield report underscor...