Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. March 4, 2023.
Kyiv/Moscow – Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. In a statement published on the Telegram network, the Ministry of Defense said that Shoigu visited one of the command posts and heard a report from the commander there, Rustam Muradov, about the current situation and the actions of the army. The Russians call the invasion of Ukraine a special military operation.
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The minister “inspected the forward command post of one of the formations of the “Vostok” troop group in the direction to the south of the Donetsk region”, wrote the Russian agency TASS. Shoigu thanked the soldiers for their heroism and dedication and presented them with state awards, orders and medals.
Top military commanders visit the front line in Ukraine only sporadically. Shoigu, who has been defense minister since 2012, has recently come under fire for his handling of the war, which has lasted more than a year. For example, the founder of Wagner's mercenary group, the oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused him of treason in February. He also criticized the Ministry of Defense for the lack of ammunition and weapons, for tactical mistakes on the battlefield and for the fact that the Ministry appropriates the successes of its mercenaries.
Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24 last year, where fierce fighting has not stopped since then . Russian forces are now fighting with Ukrainian troops, especially near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, however, the Russian army regularly attacks other Ukrainian cities and Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
