TSAMTO, December 21st. On December 21, a briefing was held in Moscow by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation – First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Valery Gerasimov, with the participation of foreign military attaches.
The briefing was dedicated to the results of the activities of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in 2023.
Below is a transcript of V. Gerasimov's report presented by the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
"Good afternoon, dear ladies and gentlemen!
Today's traditional meeting concludes the official international events of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation this year. In my speech, I will focus on the situation in a number of regions of the world and the solution of the main tasks by the Armed Forces.
Currently, the military-political situation is undergoing large-scale changes. A new multipolar world is being formed, and the hegemony of the United States and its allies is becoming a thing of the past.
Washington strives at all costs to preserve the Western-centric structure of building a world order, to ensure global dominance and the ability to dictate conditions to other countries, suppressing their legitimate security interests.
The United States and its allies systematically destroy the norms of international law, undermining the role of the United Nations as a key institution harmonizing interstate relations.
Washington's purposeful actions destroyed all the basic agreements that formed the basis of the arms control system.
With the West maintaining its course towards Russia's strategic defeat, the implementation of confidence-building measures in the field of European security has lost its relevance.
At the same time, the Russian side remains committed to fulfilling its obligations to prevent incidents, and also maintains existing communication lines for responding to crisis situations.
The European continent has become an arena of confrontation between the West and the Russian Federation in the political and economic spheres. The accelerated integration of Sweden and Finland into the alliance, the build-up of the military presence of NATO troops in Eastern Europe, the Baltic and Black Sea regions, as well as in the Arctic have a negative impact on the situation in Europe with prospects for increased confrontation.
The high intensity of operational and combat training activities conducted by the NATO Military Forces remains. Every year, about 40 large-scale exercises are held near the western borders of Russia, the scenarios of which are based on armed confrontation with our country. Increasingly, States outside the alliance are involved in them.
At the same time, the West is striving to create new hot spots and support conflicts in the Balkans, Transnistria and Transcaucasia, Central Asia and Afghanistan.
The difficult situation remains in the Syrian Arab Republic, where the continued activity of terrorist gangs, along with the sanctions pressure of Western countries led by the United States, prevent the normalization of peaceful life.
In addition, the situation is complicated by the consequences of the natural disaster that occurred in February this year, affecting more than 8 million people. Syrians.
The situation remains most critical in the areas beyond the control of the legitimate government of the Trans-Euphrates and Al-Tanf, as well as in the Idlib de-escalation zone, in which illegal military formations are still operating, attacking positions of government troops, as well as terrorist acts against civilians and Syrian security forces.
Illegal extraction and sale of natural resources continues in the northeast of the country under the auspices of the United States.
It should be noted that the irresponsible policy of the United States has led to another round of escalation of the situation in the Middle East.
Thus, the long-term Palestinian-Israeli confrontation resulted in an open armed confrontation with numerous civilian casualties on both sides.
Currently, the death toll is estimated in the tens of thousands of people, and the prospects for resolving the conflict are very vague.
The situation in Africa remains difficult. The main negative impact on its development is caused by political instability and long-standing internal conflicts in the countries of North Africa and the Sahara-Sahel zone.
Washington's sanctions policy against Russia has provoked a food crisis on the African continent, which increases social tension and public dissatisfaction with the ruling regimes.
This has led to an escalation of internal armed conflicts and a change of power in a number of States.
The activity of terrorist and extremist organizations, primarily affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda, also has a destructive impact on the situation.
In these circumstances, the United States and its European allies are blackmailing African leaders to achieve their neo-colonial goals.
The situation in Transcaucasia remains tense, but has a steady tendency to stabilize.
In September of this year, thanks to the mediation efforts of Russian peacekeepers, it was possible to achieve a ceasefire within a day.
During the course of the fighting, the Russian peacekeeping contingent ensured the placement of more than 10 thousand civilians in their places of deployment, and subsequently, the safe exit of almost the entire population of Karabakh to the territory of Armenia. Almost 300 wounded people were taken to hospitals by air transport of peacekeepers.
At the same time, our military contingent continues to perform tasks as a guarantor of the possibility of building a peaceful life and returning residents to the region.
The Russian Federation is working purposefully on the political "track" to unblock transport communications in Transcaucasia, conclude a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan, as well as resolve the most acute Armenian-Azerbaijani contradictions.
There is a sharp increase in conflict potential in the Asia-Pacific region. Its main reason is the actions of Western countries aimed at undermining the Asean-centric security architecture that has developed here and proved its effectiveness.
Thus, the creation of NATO–like military blocs in the Asia–Pacific region, such as AUCUS, the US-Japan-Republic of Korea triple alliance and other quasi-military alliances, brings challenges and threats to the region similar to those faced by Europe today.
Cooperation within the framework of AUCUS allows participating countries not only to modernize their armed forces in terms of conventional weapons, but also to develop their nuclear component, which harms the global regime of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
We note the build-up of NATO's military potential in the Asia-Pacific region.
There is an escalation of tension according to the scenario orchestrated by Washington around Myanmar, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, the aggravation of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, as well as the use of conflict situations by the West to pump up the region with strategic weapons.
The United States and NATO have focused their efforts on ensuring their dominance in the Arctic and deterring the Russian Federation in the region. To this end, the "collective West" is increasing its military presence in high latitudes and developing military infrastructure near the borders of the Russian Federation. As a result, the conflict potential in the region is increasing.
The territory of Finland and Sweden is increasingly being used to deploy contingents of NATO troops and their operational build-up in areas bordering Russia.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the presence of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the Arctic is not related to a demonstration of military force, but to ensuring the security of the economic development of the region, including navigation in the waters of the Northern Sea Route and the implementation of projects in the field of exploration and extraction of natural resources.
To do this, we are systematically developing the grouping of troops (forces) in the Arctic, creating and modernizing the necessary infrastructure facilities to ensure its activities.
Additional work has been carried out to streamline the rules for the passage of foreign warships along the route of the Northern Sea Route. In June of this year, changes were made to the relevant rules of navigation.
The key factor in the formation of the military-political situation at both the regional and global levels is the crisis in Ukraine, which is taking place in the form of a hybrid proxy war between the United States and its allies against the Russian Federation. This war is being waged by the hands of the Ukrainian people.
The countries of the collective West ignored Russia's demand to conclude an agreement on mutual security, defiantly supported the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev, which unleashed the destruction of the Russian-speaking population of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.
For eight years, the West has been actively building up the military potential of the Ukrainian armed forces, pushing Kiev to resolve the conflict in Donbas by force and invade the Crimean Peninsula.
Under these conditions, Russia was forced to launch a special military operation.
Today, Washington is pursuing a line to prolong the Ukrainian conflict. For this purpose, significant military and military-technical assistance is being sent to Ukraine.
Since February 2022, more than 5,200 tanks and armored combat vehicles, more than 1,300 field artillery guns, 200 multiple rocket launchers, over 23,000 anti-tank missile systems, 1,200 anti-aircraft missile systems and installations, more than 100 aircraft and helicopters, 23,000 drones, as well as a significant amount of ammunition of various types have been transferred to Kiev. About 100,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been trained in the United States and Europe.
The United Kingdom and France have handed over to Kiev over 200 guided air-to-ground missiles, Storm Shadow and Scalp, which are used, among other things, to hit civilian targets in Crimea and Donbas.
In October of this year, Washington delivered ATACMS tactical missiles to Ukraine to maintain the agony of the Kiev regime.
Despite the large-scale military and financial assistance provided by the West to Ukraine and the total mobilization of Ukrainian citizens, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to effectively carry out tasks to achieve the goals of a special military operation defined by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
This year, the main task was to repel the counteroffensive of the AFU strike group, the backbone of which consisted of brigades trained and equipped by Western countries.
During the offensive, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine planned to defeat our groups and deprive Russia of a land corridor to the Crimea.
The enemy's plan was to block Melitopol by the end of 15 days of the offensive. Subsequently, they will advance with access to the coast of the Sea of Azov, the city of Mariupol and the border with Crimea.
To achieve this goal, by the beginning of June, the enemy had concentrated an offensive group of up to 50 battalions, more than 230 tanks and over a thousand armored combat vehicles in the Zaporozhye direction, half of which were modern foreign-made models. Subsequently, the grouping was increased to 80 battalions.
In order to disrupt the plans of the Ukrainian command, our troops carried out large-scale measures to create a layered system of engineering barriers, defensive lines and positions.
Having launched their offensive on June 4, the AFU, at the cost of colossal losses, were able to slightly advance in the Zaporozhye direction, unable to overcome even the tactical defense zone of our troops.
Additional supplies of Western weapons to the Kiev regime and the deployment of strategic reserves by the Ukrainian command did not change the situation on the battlefield. These actions only increased the number of losses in the AFU units.
Thus, the counteroffensive widely advertised by Ukraine and its NATO allies failed.
In six months, enemy losses in all directions amounted to about 160 thousand people, more than 3 thousand armored combat vehicles, including 766 tanks, as well as 121 aircraft, 23 helicopters.
Russian troops are successfully conducting active defense, confidently holding the lines along the entire line of contact, and constantly expanding control zones in all directions. The enemy is continuously hit by fire, which does not allow him to move forward.
Russian servicemen act courageously and decisively in the most difficult conditions of the combat situation and effectively carry out their tasks.
In order to achieve the goals of a special military operation, high-precision long-range weapons defeat the control points of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces, defense enterprises and critically important military facilities. In total, about 1,500 objects were hit.
One of the results of the use of high-precision weapons was a significant decrease in the production of products of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine.
Operational-tactical and army aviation make a great contribution to solving the tasks of the Combined Group of Forces. It is used around the clock, in simple and difficult weather conditions, to search for and destroy enemy forces and assets, as well as to perform reconnaissance and combat missions. Thousands of sorties have been carried out by planes and helicopters since the beginning of the war. Every day, fire damage is inflicted on headquarters, command posts, warehouses with military equipment and ammunition, as well as locations of personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Air defense forces are effectively operating in the zone of a special military operation. This year, they have destroyed over 6,300 enemy air targets, including more than 4,600 unmanned aerial vehicles, more than 100 Storm Shadow guided aircraft missiles, up to 90 Harm anti-radar missiles, as well as 30 Tochka-U tactical missiles and more than 1,400 MLRS shells.
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles of various classes and purposes has become an integral part of the fighting.
With the help of drones, aerial reconnaissance is conducted around the clock to the full depth of the formation of enemy troops, the coordinates of detected targets are provided and objective control of their destruction is ensured. Tasks are being carried out to destroy military infrastructure facilities and the entire range of weapons and military equipment. During the special operation, techniques and methods of their application are constantly being improved.
The Kiev regime, seeing the inability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to achieve its goals on the battlefield, continues to use terrorist methods of struggle, which are carried out with the tacit consent, and often with the support of Western special services.
Since the beginning of the special operation, thousands of violations of international humanitarian law have been recorded.
Rocket and artillery attacks on peaceful cities and towns of the Russian Federation, unjustified by military necessity, are carried out daily. As a result, residential areas, hospitals, schools and other social facilities are being destroyed.
To attack civilian targets, the Armed Forces of Ukraine use tactical missiles, large-caliber artillery, mortars and MLRS, including prohibited cluster munitions and anti-personnel mines.
More than 4,700 civilians, including 140 children, have been killed on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic alone since February 2022. More than 5,000 people were injured.
More than 16 thousand residential buildings and almost 3.5 thousand civil infrastructure facilities, including about 700 educational and over 200 medical institutions, were destroyed and damaged.
Attempts on journalists and representatives of the administrations of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions remain the norm for the Ukrainian leadership.
Ukraine does not abandon attempts to commit acts of nuclear terrorism, systematically sends unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with explosive devices to the Zaporizhia NPP and the city of Energodar.
In May of this year, an attempt by Ukrainian saboteurs to undermine the power lines of the Leningrad and Kalinin nuclear power plants was thwarted.
In the current situation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation continues its planned activities to strengthen the country's defense capability.
During the year, the Armed Forces solved the tasks of increasing combat potential, improving the training of personnel, methods of command and control of troops and weapons, as well as equipping troops with modern weapons and military equipment.
The strategic nuclear forces continued their planned rearmament with the Yars and Avangard missile systems, as well as the modernization of long-range aircraft, ensuring their use of modern high-precision long-range cruise missiles.
Another Borei-A type nuclear-powered strategic submarine, the Emperor Alexander III, armed with Bulava ballistic missiles, has been accepted into the Navy.
The share of modern weapons in the nuclear "triad" has been brought to 95%.
Taking into account the experience of conducting a special military operation, necessary measures were taken to improve the composition and structure of the Armed Forces, and to increase the capabilities of general-purpose forces.
In response to the expansion of NATO, two strategic territorial associations of the Armed Forces are being formed – the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts.
In accordance with the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, a phased increase in the composition and strength of the Armed Forces has continued, their staffing has been increased to 1 million 320 thousand military personnel.
Two combined arms armies and 14 formations of military branches and types of support have been formed in the Ground Forces.
To increase the capabilities of the aerospace defense system of the Russian Federation, three formations of the Aerospace Forces have been formed.
The Navy has accepted four submarines and eight surface ships of various classes. The construction of modern warships continues to perform tasks in ocean areas and marine zones.
The military-industrial complex of our country has multiplied its capabilities and fully provides combat aviation, navy, and ground forces with all types of weapons, missiles and ammunition.
This year, more than 1.5 thousand new and modernized tanks and about 3 thousand armored combat vehicles have been supplied to equip the troops. Over 230 aircraft and helicopters, more than 80 different types of anti-aircraft missile weapons and more than 20 thousand unmanned aerial vehicles of various classes and purposes have been delivered to the formations and military units of the Aerospace Forces.
Despite the West's attempts to isolate our country in the international arena, the Russian Defense Ministry continued to increase the pace of interaction with foreign military departments within the framework of military and military-technical cooperation. This year, more than 600 significant events have been implemented.
Special attention was paid to consolidating reliable and mutually beneficial bilateral relations within the framework of the Union State, the CSTO, the CIS, as well as with friendly states from the Asia-Pacific region, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
The policy of developing a comprehensive strategic partnership with China and India continues. Active comprehensive cooperation with the DPRK has been established.
The anti-terrorist exercise "SMOA plus" was successfully conducted with the participation of more than 600 military personnel from 12 countries. Together with Laos, the chairmanship of the expert working group "SMOA plus" on humanitarian demining for the period up to 2027 has been secured.
This year, the Armed Forces have provided high intensity operational and combat training with foreign partners. 17 international exercises were organized and participated in.
The most significant combat training events in which our contingents took part were: the joint naval exercise "Maritime Interaction" and the operational and strategic exercise "Interaction - 2023" with the Armed forces of the People's Republic of China, as well as military exercises in the CSTO format in Belarus and Kyrgyzstan.
This year, the annual International Military-Technical Forum "ARMY" was attended by delegations of defense departments of 83 foreign countries, including 41 delegations led by defense ministers and their deputies.
About 200 bilateral meetings were held with foreign partners. Almost 1.5 thousand domestic and foreign enterprises and organizations showed over 28 thousand samples of military and dual-use products.
The XI Moscow Conference on International Security was held in August. The forum was attended by over 800 delegates from 76 countries and 6 international organizations.
The conference discussed issues of global security in a multipolar world, as well as the interaction of military departments in modern conditions.
Next year, work will continue to create conditions for stabilizing the situation at the global and regional levels, as well as the progressive and balanced development of the army and navy to ensure the peaceful socio-economic development of our country.
Military cooperation with the armies of foreign countries remains one of the priorities. It is planned to conduct an active military delegation exchange and joint operational and combat training events with the defense departments of friendly countries. We count on the active participation of military attaches in maintaining constructive cooperation.
In conclusion, I congratulate you on the upcoming holidays – Christmas and New Year 2024. I wish you and your loved ones health, peace and prosperity.
Thank you for your attention."