These attacks resulted in notably high casualties for the Russian Armed Forces and the loss of scores of equipment pieces, including at least 26 tanks.

[5] Rustam Usmanovich Muradov was born in Chinar, Derbentsky District of the Dagestan ASSR within the Russian SFSR, then Soviet Union.

In 2016, he was the representative of Russia at the Joint Russian-Ukrainian Center for Control and Coordination of Ceasefire and Stabilization of the Line of Delimitation of the Parties (JCCC) in Donbas.

Then, he served as the Commander of the 2nd Guards Red Banner Army of the Central Military District until Andrey Kolotovkin replaced him in 2018.

[19] On 11 November 2020, he was appointed the commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, after a peace agreement ending the war over the region.

[23] In February 2023, Muradov came under fire for a failed offensive in the battle for Vuhledar, where reports of the loss of nearly 30 mostly intact infantry fighting vehicles and many Russian soldiers occurred.

[27] Following this, it was reported by Russian war correspondents that he had been replaced as acting commander of the Eastern Military District by Lieutenant General Andrey Kuzmenko, despite officially remaining at its head.

"[29] In February 2022, the European Union imposed personal sanctions against Muradov in connection with the Russian military operation in Ukraine.