Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery (Photo: Reuters).
According to the military news website Avia Pro , at a meeting of the Russian Ministry of Defense on November 21, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Ukrainian troops, faced with Russia's robust defense system, had lost their fighting spirit. This led many of them to choose surrender instead of continuing to fight.
Sputnik quoted the Russian Defense Minister as saying that Ukrainian forces have suffered significant losses in the past month of fighting.
"In total, since the beginning of the month, the enemy has lost more than 13,700 people and approximately 1,800 units of various weapons and military equipment," Shoigu stated.
Minister Shoigu confirmed that the Ukrainian armed forces were unsuccessful in their landing operation in the direction of Kherson.
"All attempts by the Ukrainian armed forces to conduct a landing operation in the direction of Kherson have been unsuccessful. Due to the proactive and professional actions of Russian servicemen, Ukrainian marines and special forces units are suffering significant losses," Shoigu added.
In addition, the Russian Defense Minister stated that the Russian armed forces are controlling positions along the entire front line in the military operational area and are gradually improving their positions.
Ukraine began its counteroffensive in June after receiving additional weapons and Western-supported training. However, the pace of the counteroffensive has been slower than expected due to encountering Russia's robust, multi-layered defense system.
The slow pace of the counterattack has fueled speculation that Ukraine is unlikely to achieve its goal of regaining all territory from Russia, at least in the near future.
Defense experts believe that Ukraine's counteroffensive is unlikely to achieve any breakthroughs this year. However, they note that it is crucial for Ukraine to make at least some progress in order to maintain Western support until 2024, or even beyond.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that the country's army will continue its counter-offensive this autumn and winter. He affirmed that Ukraine will retake the strategic city of Bakhmut in the east and two other important cities.
At a meeting on November 21, Minister Shoigu declared that maintaining all components of Russia's strategic nuclear forces in a state of combat readiness is a crucial task.
"A key task remains to keep all components of the strategic nuclear force ready," Shoigu stated.
According to Minister Shoigu, the proportion of modern ships in Russia's nuclear triad has reached 100%, and he also stated that the Russian submarine force will be equipped with three modern multi-purpose submarines with the Kalibr missile system.
"Russian ships have been carrying out combat readiness missions to deter NATO naval forces in the ocean. In 2023, more than 50 voyages were completed, covering over 200,000 nautical miles," Shoigu emphasized.
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