Military equipment of the DPRDONETSK, Apr 2 Ukrainian troops during clashes with military personnel of the Donetsk People's Republic Over the past 24 hours, more than 40 personnel and equipment have been lost, the People's Militia of the DPR reports. -2 and one truck. Two infantry fighting vehicles, one MT-12 Rapira 100-mm anti-tank gun and one armored vehicle were captured,» the report says. It is noted that six servicemen of the 25th airborne brigade, four servicemen 1st Mechanized Brigade and two servicemen of the 56th Motorized Infantry Brigade voluntarily laid down their arms and defected to the DPR. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and , on March 25, completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
