Russia declares decisive moment to confront the West, repels three Ukrainian counterattacks in Kursk province

Now is a decisive moment for Russia in its confrontation with the West, the Russian defense minister said at a ceremony marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow on February 22.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov. (Source: TASS)

The statement by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov was made at the ceremony to commend and award the Gold Star medal to outstanding soldiers on Defender of the Fatherland Day (February 23).

The head of the Russian Ministry of Defense emphasized that the country's fate depends "on the actions of each person, each soldier and officer."

At the ceremony, in addition to the Gold Star Medal "Hero of the Russian Federation", the soldiers with achievements were personally presented by the Minister with a gun engraved with the name of the commended person.

Earlier, on February 21, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the West considered Moscow and Washington's initiation of dialogue as a betrayal, calling it an unhealthy reaction.

According to Mr. Lavrov, the negotiations do not mean the end of the era of confrontation between Russia and the West, and Moscow will “not run after anyone” to restore relations with the West.

On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on February 22 that the Russian army had repelled three counterattacks by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk province, western Russia bordering Ukraine.

Russia has been trying to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk province since August 2024, when the Ukrainian army launched a lightning cross-border offensive and seized part of Russian territory in the region.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nga-tuyen-bo-thoi-diem-quyet-dinh-doi-dau-phuong-tay-day-lui-ba-cuoc-phan-cong-cua-ukraine-o-tinh-kursk-305291.html