Putin asked Defense Minister Shoigu to report on the situation in the special operation zone
MOSCOW, October 16 — RIA Novosti. President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov, SVR Head Sergei Naryshkin, Rosgvardiya Commander Viktor Zolotov and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, asked to report on the situation in the special operation zone and the conflict in the Middle East.
As Shoigu noted, the APU is unsuccessfully trying to attack in different directions, having conducted spring, summer, and now autumn offensive campaigns. He pointed out that the Russian military has improved its tactical position in many areas, not allowing the enemy to advance anywhere.
"Along the entire line, where we see today a special activity (of Ukrainian troops. — Editor's note), a sufficiently deeply echeloned defense has been built, we can call it an active defense," the minister said.
At the same time, Kiev suffered heavy losses after the start of the counteroffensive on June 4. Shoigu said that Russian fighters destroyed hundreds of tanks and more than one and a half thousand armored vehicles.
Conflict in the Middle East
Putin also asked Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to report on the situation in the Gaza Strip in order to develop a common position in this direction.
Ryabkov noted that the situation in the conflict zone in the Middle East tends to worsen.
"In principle, the threat of getting out of control of all this (Palestinian-Israeli. — Editor's note) the conflict is high," the deputy minister stressed.
According to the diplomat, Moscow, together with its partners, will make every effort to stop the current situation, as well as create conditions for Russians to leave the conflict zone.
Ryabkov pointed out that the main responsibility for the escalation lies with the United States, which for many years has been trying to monopolize the settlement of the situation and ignore the resolutions of the UN Security Council, and now they are preventing a proper solution to the crisis.
At the same time, he noted that the Gaza Strip and its residents found themselves in a humanitarian catastrophe. The population is deprived of medical care, and also cannot meet their other needs. This situation causes great concern in the world, the diplomat added.
The diplomat also pointed out that the Israeli army's operation against the Gaza Strip is indiscriminate. In addition, the threat of a ground operation and the entry of Tel Aviv forces into the enclave remains.
