Shoigu: The Russian Armed Forces thwarted the counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fulfilling the main goal of 2023
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the successful completion of the main task of the special military operation (SVO) in 2023. The head of the defense department clarified that it consisted of disrupting the counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), “loudly declared” by Kiev and its NATO allies.
“Supreme Commander [Владимир Путин] highly appreciated the work of the leadership and personnel of the Ministry of Defense, thanked for the conscientious fulfillment of the assigned tasks,” Shoigu noted.
He also said that the implementation of the goals of the SVO is happening gradually. According to him, the Russian military is constantly occupying more and more advantageous positions.
The Russian army is constantly occupying more advantageous positions and expanding the territories under its control in all directions. We are consistently moving towards achieving the stated goals of the special operation.
Putin declared his commitment to the goals of the Northern Military District
In December, during a speech at an extended meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is not going to abandon the goals of the special operation, which are the protection of Donbass and the creation of conditions that guarantee the security of Russia. He also said that today the country's Armed Forces have the initiative on the line of combat contact.
The head of state noted that Russia is calmly moving towards achieving its goals within the framework of the Northern Military District.
We have our own understanding of what moves and how. We understand where and what we need to do, where and what we need to add. We are calmly moving towards achieving our goals, and I am confident that we will achieve them by implementing the tasks that we have set for ourselves
According to the politician, Ukraine did not want to come to an agreement, which is why Russia was forced to take other, including military, measures.
The Russian leader indicated that he constantly monitors the situation in the combat zone. “I give priority. This is where the day begins and this is where it ends,” the president said, adding that lately he has been staying up late because he always has to be in touch and “nearby.”
Zelensky admitted the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counter-offensive
In an interview with the Associated Press, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian campaign had failed to achieve the desired results due to persistent shortages of weapons and personnel. He called the main reason for what happened the reluctance of the allies to supply the necessary assistance to the army. Thus, the head of state for the first time publicly acknowledged the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Despite this, he assured that the country “is not going to give up” and intends to take new steps to stabilize its position at the front.
Advisor to the head of the Ukrainian leader’s office, Mikhail Podolyak, confirmed that the offensive operations “did not produce results.”
Major General of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Dmitry Marchenko blamed the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army Valery Zaluzhny for the failure of the counteroffensive.
Who forced us to hit the center of the strengthened defense, and not go to the flanks? Who did this? Where are the distracting and deceptive maneuvers? Where are they? We thought he was a brilliant commander
He also found the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces guilty of starting the counteroffensive where it was announced. “Tell me, is this a genius of military thought? Is it Suvorov or what? Stop creating idol messiahs,” the major general urged.
In turn, the former commander-in-chief of the US Army in Europe, retired General Ben Hodges, pointed out that the blame for the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive lies with the West, since it did not provide the troops with everything necessary for the operation.
At the same time, according to the deputy editor-in-chief of Bild, Paul Ronzheimer, the authorities in Kyiv privately admit that there is no chance of a new counter-offensive in the near future.
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