Russia’s Defense Minister
Shoigu visits war front in Ukraine – and praises Russian soldiers
Watch the video: Shoigu visits the war front in Ukraine – and praises Russian soldiers.
Visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to the Russian-Ukrainian front. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Shoigu visited soldiers in the Donetsk region on Wednesday and was informed about the situation on site. Shoigu has recently appeared on Russian television several times. There he had shown himself confident about the course of the war. According to the Ministry of Defense, he praised the soldiers present during his visit to the troops. Their efforts would leave Ukrainian forces with fewer and fewer options. He also awarded several medals on the occasion of his visit. He is also said to have asked military leaders to ensure that the soldiers received new uniforms and good footwear for the winter. According to experts, Russia has for the time being repelled the feared counter-offensive in the south of the country. In recent weeks, fighting has focused on the region north of the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
Sergei Shoigu traveled to the Russian-Ukrainian front. The Russian Defense Minister visited soldiers in the Donetsk region and was informed about the situation on site.
According to the military, Moscow’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu paid one of his rare front-line visits to Russian soldiers in Ukraine. Speaking to soldiers on Wednesday, Shoigu claimed, according to a message distributed by the ministry via Telegram, that Ukraine was weakened overall and had suffered heavy losses in recent weeks. “We received systems that shot down 24 aircraft in five days.”
The 68-year-old is also said to have taken part in a staff meeting in the “military special operations zone”, as was officially announced. Among other things, he received a report from the commander of Army Group East, Lieutenant General Andrei Kuzmenko, about the creation of specialized drone units. It was also about preparing for winter.
Ukraine: Shoigu’s last visit in August
The statement from the Defense Ministry is accompanied by a video that shows Shoigu in a helicopter and later in a staff bunker. It is not possible to determine whether the facility is actually located on Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
In the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, which has now lasted more than 20 months, representatives of the Russian leadership have only very rarely ventured to the front – in contrast to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who regularly visits the front. Shoigu’s last visit to the front was in August. At that time he had inspected a command post and was shown a Swedish infantry fighting vehicle that the Russian forces had taken from the Ukrainian army during battles.