As already reported, on October 8, 2022, Army General Sergei Surovikin was appointed commander of a Joint grouping of troops (forces) in the area of a special military operation. On October 18, Army General Sergei Surovikin made his first public statements in his new position, giving a brief interview.Commander of the Joint Group of Troops (forces) in the area of the special military operation, Army General Sergei Surovikin, 18.10.2022 (c) Zvezda TV channel
Theses of the interview of the commander of the Joint Grouping of Troops (forces) in the area of the SVO of Army General S.V.Surovikin dated October 18, 2022.
Good afternoon Sergey Vladimirovich!
By the decision of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, you have been appointed commander of a Joint group of troops in the area of a special military operation. Many Russian citizens are concerned about the question of what is the situation today?In general, the situation in the zone of the special military operation can be described as tense.
The enemy does not abandon attempts to attack the positions of Russian troops. First of all, this applies to Kupyansk, Krasnolimansky and Mykolaiv-Krivoy Rog directions. The enemy is a criminal regime that pushes the citizens of Ukraine to death. Ukrainians and I are one people and we wish one thing, that Ukraine was an independent state from the West and NATO friendly to Russia.
The Ukrainian regime is trying to break through our defenses. To do this, the APU is pulling up all available reserves to the front line. Basically, these are territorial defense forces that have not completed a full course of training.
In fact, the Ukrainian leadership is condemning them to destruction. As a rule, such units have low morale. To prevent fleeing from the front line, the Ukrainian authorities use nationalist detachments that shoot everyone who tries to leave the battlefield.
Every day the enemy's losses range from 600 to 1000 people killed and wounded.
We have a different strategy. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief has already spoken about this. We do not strive for high rates of advancement, we take care of every soldier and methodically "grind" the advancing enemy. This not only minimizes their losses, but also significantly reduces the number of civilian casualties.
Currently, the Joint Group of Troops is taking measures to increase the combat and numerical strength of formations and military units, create additional reserves, equip defensive lines and positions along the entire line of contact.
Strikes with precision weapons against military facilities and infrastructure affecting the combat capability of Ukrainian troops continue.
Sergey Vladimirovich, in addition to the fact that you have been appointed commander of the Joint Group of Troops (forces) in the special operation zone, you remain Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces. How would you characterize the effectiveness of Russian aviation and air defense forces?A special military operation has confirmed the effectiveness of the aviation complexes and air defense systems we have in service.
During the operation, the crews of tactical, army and long-range aviation carried out more than 34 thousand sorties. They have used more than seven thousand guided aircraft weapons. The newest hypersonic aviation missiles "Dagger" have proven themselves well in hitting objects. None of the enemy's air defense systems is terrible for this missile. Strategic air-launched cruise missiles also showed the highest accuracy.
In terms of the quality of combat use, I would like to highlight the multifunctional fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft. Having a wide range of weapons, in each sortie it solves the multifaceted tasks of defeating air and ground targets.
More than 8 thousand sorties have been carried out by unmanned aircraft, and more than 600 objects of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been destroyed by strike drones.
A few days ago, the acting governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, announced that the authorities decided to organize the possibility of residents of the region leaving for other subjects of the Russian Federation for recreation or study. First of all, this concerns the right bank. The head of the region said that these measures were taken to ensure the safety of citizens against the background of increased shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. How can you comment on this decision?A difficult situation has developed in this direction.
The enemy purposefully strikes at infrastructure facilities and residential buildings in Kherson. The Antonovsky Bridge and the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station were damaged by the hits of "Haimars" rockets, traffic on which was stopped.
As a result, the delivery of food is difficult in the city, there are certain problems with water and electricity supply. All this not only significantly complicates the life of citizens, but also creates a direct threat to their lives.
The NATO leadership of the armed forces of Ukraine has long demanded offensive operations in the Kherson direction from the Kiev regime, regardless of any victims - both in the Armed Forces themselves and among the civilian population.
We have data on the possibility of the Kiev regime using prohibited methods of war in the area of the city of Kherson, on the preparation by Kiev of a massive missile strike on the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam, the infliction of a massive rocket and artillery strike on the city indiscriminately.
These actions can lead to the destruction of the infrastructure of a large industrial center and large civilian casualties.
In these conditions, our first priority is to preserve the lives and health of civilians. Therefore, first of all, the Russian army will ensure the safe, already announced departure of the population according to the resettlement program being prepared by the Russian Government.
Our further plans and actions regarding the city of Kherson itself will depend on the current military-tactical situation.
I repeat - it is already very difficult today.
In any case, as I have already said, we will proceed from the need to preserve the lives of civilians and our military personnel as much as possible.
We will act consciously, in a timely manner, not excluding the adoption of difficult decisions.
Video interview:
