In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, smoke rises behind an apartment building damaged in Russia's Shahed-type drone hit in Dnipro, Ukraine, Feb 23, 2024. (PHOTO / UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE VIA AP)

MOSCOW - Russian air defense forces of the West group of troops destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones in the Kupyansk direction in the past 24 hours, local media reported on Thursday.

Kupyansk is a city in the Kharkov Oblast in eastern Ukraine

"During the air defense of the West group of troops, 48 unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed in one day," Russia's TASS news agency quoted head of the press center of the troops involved Ivan Bigma as saying.

Kupyansk is a city in the Kharkov Oblast in eastern Ukraine.

ALSO READ: European leaders rule out sending troops to Ukraine

Bigma also said that Ukraine suffered up to 145 casualties in the area. Furthermore, Russian fire hit two BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, four artillery pieces, a mortar crew and two pickup trucks.

There was no immediate response from Ukraine.