Russia’s Defence Min Sergey Shoigu visits Ukraine with Commanding Officers amid war

As the conflict continues to rage across various parts of Ukraine, Russia's Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu paid a surprise visit to the country, the ministry revealed on Saturday. Shoigu was accompanied by commanding officers of the "South" and "Center" troops to review the progress made by Russian troops in the war. Also, during the visit, the Defence Minister gave the necessary instructions to boost the actions and eliminate the possibility of the Ukrainian forces launching any attack on the Donbas region.

"The Russian defence ministry gave the necessary instructions to ramp up the actions of groups in all operational areas in order to exclude the possibility of the Kyiv regime launching massive rocket and artillery strikes on civilian infrastructure and residents of settlements across Donbas and other regions," the military said in a statement. Army General Sergey Surovikin, Colonel General Alexander Lapin, and Major General Esedulla Abachev were also awarded Gold Star medals for showing "courage and heroism" in the war. 

Russia’s defence minister Shoigu visits Ukraine, orders to boost military action against Kyiv

Notably, this visit comes at a time when Russia has been accused by Ukraine of carrying out targeted missile attacks on residential areas and military infrastructure. On Saturday, Ukraine's Defence Ministry spokesperson, Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, stated, "30% of Russian missile strikes target military infrastructure, most hit civilian areas," while "70% of Russian strikes hit residential areas with no military objectives," reported The Kyiv Independent. 

Russian troops may resume military actions in Ukraine's Donbas: Report

Meanwhile, reports have emerged that Russia is likely to resume its military operation in the Donbas region. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think-tank, has claimed that a series of ground assaults northwest of Slovyansk along the T1302 Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway, southeast of Bakhmut, and southwest of Donetsk City indicate that Russian troops are attempting to once again resume offensive operations in the Donbas region, though these assaults have been small-scale and largely unsuccessful, it said. Furthermore, the statement averred that Russia is expected to expand attacks in the next three days. The Russians might instead alternate briefer pauses with strengthening attacks over a number of days before moving into a full-scale offensive operation, the report claimed. It further said that a 10-day pause is not sufficient for a force like Russia to fully regenerate its offensive operations.

Image: AP/ Representative