Sergei Shoigu summed up the results of the year and named the main task performed by the army
Disrupting the AFU counteroffensive is the main task that the Russian army faced this year, and it has been successfully completed. This was stated by Sergei Shoigu on December 26 at the final meeting at the National Defense Management Center. He also noted the crucial role of the defense industry in achieving the goals of the special operation — for the uninterrupted supply of troops, enterprises have significantly increased the production of the most in-demand weapons and weapons of destruction, many have switched to round-the-clock operation. What the Commander—in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny agreed with Sergei Shoigu in absentia and how, according to experts, events in the SVO zone will develop in 2024 - in the material of Izvestia.
The main task has been completed
Sergei Shoigu began a final conference call at the National Defense Management Center on December 26 with an assessment of the progress of the special military operation. According to him, Russian troops have seized the initiative on the line of contact and are constantly expanding the controlled territories in all directions, fulfilling all the tasks of the command.
— The main one was to disrupt the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, loudly announced by Ukraine and its NATO allies. This task has been successfully completed," he said.
Among the factors that contributed to the success, Shoigu named the creation of an effective system of defensive lines, the high combat capability of all units, the reliability and effectiveness of Russian military equipment.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Sergey Guneev
— We remember every comrade—in-arms who gave his life while fulfilling the tasks set by the Motherland, - stressed the head of the military department.
The conference call was attended by almost the entire senior command staff of the Russian army. Of the notable figures, the only one missing was the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Nikolai Evmenov, who had a difficult working week. The day before, he returned from Kamchatka, where he checked the combat readiness of the Pacific Fleet, on December 25 he was in St. Petersburg at the ceremony of raising the St. Andrew's flag on three new Navy ships. And on December 26, according to Izvestia, he flew from Moscow to Feodosia, where he will have to assess the extent of damage sustained by the large landing ship (BDK) of the Black Sea Fleet Novocherkassk.
By the way, Sergei Shoigu reported on the night attack on the port of Feodosia to President Vladimir Putin immediately before the conference call. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Novocherkassk BDK, which was in port at that moment, was damaged after a cruise missile strike by two VFU tactical bombers. Both enemy planes were shot down by Russian air defense forces.
Coincidentally, Sergei Shoigu made his statements on the same day as the briefing by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny. And in many ways, the speech of the Ukrainian general confirmed the statements of the Russian Defense Minister.
Thus, the Commander-in—chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine recognized the abandonment of Marinka by Ukrainian units, and did not rule out that within two to three months the same thing would happen to Avdiivka, another important city in the Donetsk direction, where Russian troops are active today. Valery Zaluzhny declared the depletion of the offensive potential of the Ukrainian army and its complete dependence on supplies of Western equipment and military equipment.
The strategic objectives will not change
In the open part of his speech at the meeting, Sergei Shoigu did not list the tasks of the Russian army for 2024. He said he would do this at the January board meeting of the ministry.
Experts believe that the strategic objectives of the Russian army will not change next year. It is important to exhaust the enemy's forces, said the associate professor of the Russian University of Economics. Plekhanova, Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev.
Military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexey Maishev
"It's not just about the Ukrainian formations," he said. — We are holding back NATO forces. They supply equipment, intelligence, train soldiers, mercenaries from these countries are fighting against us, so-called instructors are widely involved. They came at us with full force. We held off the blow, and now we are starting to dictate our terms. We will move forward, but take care of the soldiers. The goals will also remain — the liberation of Donbass, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, demilitarization and denazification.
According to military expert Viktor Murakhovsky, the depletion of the VFU forces will be used by the Russian Defense Ministry for high-quality preparation of the summer offensive of the Russian army, which will bring the collapse of the Kiev regime closer.
— Next year, by the summer, we can achieve a decisive turning point, — he told Izvestia. — To do this, we need to increase the size of the army at the expense of contractors. Due to the work of the defense industry, increase the number of tanks, artillery, air defense, aircraft and other equipment. I think that by the summer the army will reach the level of combat capability that will allow it to solve serious offensive tasks.
Uninterrupted supply of troops
Sergei Shoigu also spoke about the crucial role of the Russian defense industry in achieving its goals at a meeting at the National Defense Management Center. He noted that for the uninterrupted supply of troops involved in the special operation zone, enterprises of the military-industrial complex have significantly increased the production of the most popular types of weapons and means of destruction. Many have switched to round-the-clock operation.
A soldier of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Alexey Ramm
— In fact, the defense industry workers challenged the vaunted Western military-technical potential, — said the minister.
The head of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Yuri Slyusar, announced on December 26 that the state defense order for the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter doubled in 2023, and it is even more for 2024.
The Su-57 is a multifunctional aircraft designed to destroy all types of air, ground and surface targets. This is a difficult machine to manufacture, but UAC "handled its delivery with honor," Slyusar noted.
Earlier, the head of the KLA said that this fighter shows its best side during a special military operation.
Andrey Krasnobaev
Roman Kretsul
Bogdan Stepovoy
