The head of the Center for National Defense Control of Russia, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, reported that Ukrainian military and regional defense units had established positions inside the DPR-controlled territories near Slavyansk and Artemovsk, using local educational facilities as sites for military activity.
According to Mizintsev, the Transport Infrastructure College on Gagarin Street housed Armed Forces of Ukraine personnel and regional defense units. He described checkpoints and firing points at the approaches to the college and claimed that nearby residents were being detained at the facility under the pretext of ensuring security in the area.
Earlier remarks by Mizintsev noted that a small Ukrainian hydrographic vessel, the Shlyakhovich, belonging to the State Hydrographic Service, was damaged by a drifting mine at the mouth of the Danube River.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a decision to carry out a military special operation in response to requests for assistance from the leaders of the LPR and DPR, aiming to protect the populations and stabilize the situation in the Donbass region.
Chronicles of events from sources tracking developments in the region continue to shape the public narrative surrounding these actions and the evolving border and administrative circumstances involved.