Russian Military Has Destroyed 2,203 Targets of Ukrainian Military Infrastructure During Special Op

The Russian special military operation was launched on 24 February after the Donbass republics pled for help to counter Kiev's aggression. President Vladimir Putin said it was a "difficult" decision, but the plight of the Donbass people has been ignored for too long.

The Russian armed forces have destroyed 2,203 targets of the Ukrainian military infrastructure since the beginning of the special military operation, the Defence Ministry announced on Sunday.

According to the Defence Ministry spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov, Russian fighter jets and air defence systems have shot down 10 Ukrainian combat aircraft and helicopters over the past 24 hours.

"The missile forces have destroyed the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system," Konashenkov added, stressing that three Buk M1 anti-aircraft missile systems and three radar stations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit by bomber and ground attack aircraft.

According to Konashenkov, "69 aircraft on the ground and 24 aircraft in the air, 778 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 77 multiple launch rocket systems, 279 field artillery and mortars, 553 units of special military vehicles, as well as 62 unmanned aerial vehicles were also destroyed".

The Russian armed forces have established control over several settlements, advancing 11 kilometres, he said.

Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) units a continuing offensive operations and take control of new settlements, Konashenkov added.

On 24 February, Russia started a special military operation in Ukraine to protect civilians in the Donbass People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, whose authorities appealed to Moscow for assistance following the repeated shelling of their territories by Ukrainian forces. President Putin explained that a key goal of the operation is to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine and thus eliminate a threat to Russia's national security.

The Russian Ministry of Defence has repeatedly stressed that the Armed Forces strike only at the military infrastructure, and nothing threatens the civilian population.

In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow, which include airspace closures and restrictive measures targeting Russian officials, media, and financial institutions.