Abstracts of Shoigu's report
The Russian military continues active actions in all directions, focusing on weakening the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was stated by the head of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu at a conference call in the department.
Kiev, he stressed, is desperately throwing new forces to storm Russian positions, but has not achieved success anywhere, and its losses in a month exceeded 20.8 thousand people and 2.2 thousand weapons.
The Minister also spoke about strengthening the protection of infrastructure facilities that Ukraine is trying to attack due to failures in the "counteroffensive", and thanked the military "for service, courage, heroism." TASS collected the main statements of Shoigu.
About the situation in the SVO zone
- "The combined Group of troops continues to conduct active combat operations in all directions, focusing its main efforts on weakening the enemy's combat capabilities."
- The Ukrainian command is "desperately throwing new forces" to storm Russian positions, but thanks to "competently constructed defense, skillful organization of the fire system, professional actions, endurance and perseverance of Russian servicemen, the enemy's advance is not allowed."
- "A large-scale attempt by Ukrainian troops to break through our defenses has been thwarted in the Orekhovsky direction." On July 26 and 27 alone, Kiev lost more than 400 people killed, 31 tanks, including three German Leopard and two French, as well as 32 armored fighting vehicles in the area of the settlement of Rabocino.
- The Russian military liberated Kovalevka and Sergeyevka in the Krasnolimansk direction, and Molchanovka railway station in Kupyansk.
About the losses of Kiev
- The AFU lost 20,824 people and 2,227 weapons during the month, including 10 Leopard tanks, 11 American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 50 Western-made self-propelled artillery units and 40 M777 howitzers. (On July 3, Shoigu reported that about 2,500 weapons were destroyed in a month, including 920 armored vehicles, including 16 Leopard tanks - approx. TASS.)
- "It is obvious that Western weapons supplied to [Kiev] do not lead to success on the battlefield, but only prolong the military conflict."
About Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure
- Kiev, against the backdrop of an unsuccessful "counteroffensive", " focused on carrying out terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure" on the territory of Russia. "Taking into account the current situation, additional measures have been taken to increase protection against attacks from the air and sea. The intensity of attacks on Ukrainian military facilities, including those providing these terrorist attacks, has increased significantly."
On strengthening the Russian Navy
- The leadership of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation will consider issues related to the construction of the 12700 Alexandrite project minesweepers equipped with "the latest means of searching for and destroying mines, sonar stations, a mine contour," as well as robots.
- It is also planned to consider the terms of construction of small rocket ships of the project 22800 "Karakurt". "In July, the Black Sea Fleet was replenished with a serial ship of this project "Cyclone". Three ships are planned to be accepted into the Navy by the end of this year. Two more are to be put into operation in 2024."
About recruitment to military universities
- More than 15 thousand first-year students have enrolled in military universities, 1.5 thousand of them are participants in a special military operation. "Many, or to be more precise, most have combat awards."
- "The interest of young people in educational institutions of the Navy, Strategic Missile Forces and flight universities of the Aerospace Forces has grown significantly. In other universities, we still have the same high competition as before."
- Training of officers has resumed on the basis of the Donetsk Higher Military Command School.
About the Army Forum
- The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation plans to conclude contracts for more than 433 billion rubles at the international military-technical forum "Army-2023", which will open on August 14.
- It is planned that at the forum, almost 1.5 thousand enterprises will present about 28 thousand product samples, including "developments that have been tested in a real combat situation."
- The heads of 108 defense departments were invited to the forum.
- The XI Moscow Conference on International Security will be held simultaneously with the Army. It is also planned to hold the Second International anti-fascist Congress in August, part of the events of which will be held in Belarus.
