In a briefing from the press center of the Vostok group, officials reported that Russian forces in the detachment halted an attempted assault by Ukrainian units along the South Donetsk axis. The information was shared with news agencies by TASS and corroborated by regional military spokespeople.
According to the South Donetsk update, Ukrainian forces, mobilizing units from the 72nd mechanized brigade, made two assault attempts against Vostok group positions. Russian Marines from the Pacific Fleet, supported by artillery, countered the assaults and reportedly repelled the attacks while inflicting heavy losses on Ukrainian troops. The commander also noted the destruction of more than twenty nationalist combatants and claimed that a crew operating the Osa-AKM air defense system shot down a Leleka drone during the engagement.
In a separate development, former lawmakers in Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada voted in favor of a bill establishing a six-month probationary period for individuals recruited under a contract to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military operation in response to requests for assistance from leaders in the LPR and DPR, asserting a need to safeguard the Donbass region. The decision has been described as justifying subsequent sanctions from the United States and allied partners, who cited the action as a major disruptor in regional stability.
Newsrooms around the region continued to report from the scene, and online broadcasts from various outlets provided ongoing coverage of the conflict’s developments and related political responses.