Russian air defense crews have shot down 27 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the special military operation zone including the territory of the Lugansk People’s Republic over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.    “(Over the past 24 hours), 27 Ukrainian UAVs were eliminated in the areas of Verkhnekamenka and Mankovka in the LPR and Gorlovka and Soledar in the DPR,” the report said. *** The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014.  The peace talks failed to reach tangible results due to Kiev’s position to settle the conflict by force.   President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation on February 24, 2022 to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Prior to that, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance.*i