Moscow. July 18. INTERFAX-AVN - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited the Vostok group involved in the special operation in Ukraine, gave instructions to eliminate the long-range rocket and artillery weapons of the Ukrainian army, from which the Donbass is being shelled, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Monday.
"At the command post, the commander of the Vostok group, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, reported to the head of the Russian military department on the current situation and the progress of the assigned combat tasks to defeat enemy forces in the area of responsibility," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"Army General Sergei Shoigu, noting the strengthening of the strike capabilities of the group, instructed the commander to prioritize the defeat of long-range rocket and artillery weapons of the enemy with high-precision weapons, from which residential quarters of Donbass settlements are being shelled and deliberate arson of wheat fields, as well as grain storage facilities are being carried out," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The fact that the Vostok group is led by Muradov was not previously reported.
Since January 2019, Muradov has been Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District. Muradov recently led the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh. Previously, he commanded the 2nd Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District in the Volga region.
On July 16, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that Shoigu inspected the groups of troops "South" and "Center" participating in the SVO in Ukraine, instructed to increase actions in all operational areas.
"At the command post, Army General Sergei Shoigu heard reports from the commander of the South group, Army General Sergei Surovikin, the commander of the Center group, Colonel General Alexander Lapin, other commanders and commanders on the current situation, the nature of enemy actions and the progress of the Russian Armed Forces' combat missions," the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"At the end of the hearing, the head of the Russian military department gave the necessary instructions to further increase the actions of groups in all operational areas in order to exclude the possibility of the Kiev regime to inflict massive missile and artillery strikes on civilian infrastructure and residents of settlements in Donbass and other regions," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The previous time the agency reported on June 26 that Shoigu came with an inspection to the Russian group involved in the SVO in Ukraine.
On July 2, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, had checked the Russian troops conducting their military operations in Ukraine.
On June 24, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the names of the commanders of Russian troops in Ukraine. The southern group is led by the commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces, Sergei Surovikin, and the Center group is led by the commander of the troops of the Central Military District, Alexander Lapin, it followed from the department's message.
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). On February 24, Putin announced the start of his military operation in Ukraine. In response, many countries have imposed sanctions against Russia. A number of countries supply Ukraine with weapons and equipment.
On April 25, the head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mizintsev, said that the Russian army had taken control of the entire Kherson region, parts of the Kharkiv, Zaporozhye, Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine, a significant part of the territory of the DPR and LPR recognized by Russia.
On July 4, Shoigu informed the President of the Russian Federation about the completion of the operation to take control of the territory of the LPR. "The units that took part in active hostilities and achieved success, victories in the Luhansk direction, of course, should rest, increase their combat capabilities," Putin said at a meeting with Shoigu.
"And other military formations, including the Vostok grouping and the Zapad grouping, must carry out their tasks according to the previously approved plan, according to a single plan. I hope that everything will happen in their directions in the same way as it has been happening in Lugansk up to now," Putin added then.
