Russia’s defense minister visits troops in Ukraine
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Sergei Shoigu met with Russian commanding officers to discuss ways and means of putting an end to Ukrainian attacks on civilians in the Donbass region.
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Russia’s defense minister pays a surprise visit to Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has visited and assessed Russian forces involved in the present military action in neighboring Ukraine, according to the ministry.
Shoigu met with Army General Sergei Surovikin and Colonel General Alexander Lapin, who command the 'South' and 'Center' units, respectively, as well as other top commanding officers.
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“The head of the Russian defense ministry gave the necessary instructions to ramp up the actions of groups in all operational areas in order to exclude the possibility of the Kiev regime launching massive rocket and artillery strikes on civilian infrastructure and residents of settlements across Donbass and other regions,” the military said in a statement.
The minister also presented Lapin and Major General Esedulla Abachev with Gold Star medals for their "courage and heroism" throughout the struggle. According to the military, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the decision to bestow the highest state decorations on the commanders.
On July 3rd, the minister assured President Putin that the Russian army liberated the Lugansk region from Ukrainian forces. In a statement, the Ministry said, "Today, July 3, 2022, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General S.K. Shoigu, reported to Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin on the liberation of the Lugansk People's Republic [LPR]."
Last month, the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu carried out an inspection of Russian troop units involved in the war in Ukraine, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
In a statement, the Ministry stated that "at the command posts of Russian units, Army General Sergei Shoigu heard reports from the commanders on the current situation and actions of the Russian Armed Forces in the main operational areas."
It was unclear when the visit took place or whether Shoigu had visited Ukraine.
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