"The Kyiv regime, despite their huge losses, has been trying to conduct the so-called counter-offensive for the third month already. The armed forces of Ukraine did not achieve their goals in any of the directions," the minister told senior defense officials, adding that the Russian troops are active "along the entire line of contact."
Shoigu added that Kyiv is "desperately trying to demonstrate" at least some military success to the West to keep receiving their military and economic support.
"In attempt to hide the failure of the offensive, Ukrainian militants attack civilian targets and pass them off as military victories," Sputnik quoted as the minister saying.
Ukrainian troops have lost more than 66,000 military and 7,600 weapons since the beginning of the counteroffensive, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"Since the beginning of the so-called offensive, enemy losses have exceeded 66,000 people and 7,600 weapons," Shoigu told at a meeting with senior defense officials.
Additionally, Russian air defense systems have shot down 159 HIMARS rockets, over 1,000 unmanned aerial vehicles and 13 cruise missiles over the past month, the minister said.
"The Russian armed forces continue to destroy the military infrastructure of Ukraine with precision strikes. Over the past month alone, 34 command posts of the Ukrainian armed forces ... were hit," Shoigu added.
Defense minister stressed that the Ukrainian armed forces have suffered significant losses in the Zaporizhzhia direction.
The situation in the Zaporizhzhia direction is the most tense, the minister said, adding that the Ukrainian armed forces brought into battle brigades from their strategic reserve, whose personnel were trained under the guidance of Western instructors.
MNA/PR
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