Success in these areas can develop into a full-scale offensive, experts believe
The Russian General Staff managed to carry out an operation to liberate Avdiivka with minimal losses, Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin. The Head of State noted the flight of Ukrainian formations from the city and highly appreciated the actions of Russian troops. The Minister of Defense also said that our units had dislodged the militants from the village of Krynki on the left bank of the Dnieper, thus eliminating the bridgehead that the AFU captured in the summer. During the meeting, the topic was raised why the West made a fuss about Russia's alleged plans to place nuclear weapons in space. The President denied these allegations and once again stressed that Russia is ready for negotiations both on the Ukrainian conflict and on issues of strategic stability in general.
The liberation of Avdiivka will be included in textbooks
On February 20, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Vladimir Putin on the results of the operation to liberate Avdiivka. The General Staff conducted it with minimal losses, the minister said. Not only the city itself, but also 72 square kilometers in its vicinity, including the territory of the coke plant, came under the control of Russian troops. And the troops continue to move west.
The General Staff began preparations for the operation last autumn, and large reserves of Russian forces were created in the north and south-west of Avdiivka, the minister explained.
— The Avdiivka operation will be included in textbooks and will be studied at higher educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, — said Sergei Shoigu.
In the last days of fighting for the city, the Russian armed forces carried out 460 precision strikes per day. According to the minister, the enemy left many wounded in the city, many weapons were thrown, including personal ones, anti-tank missiles and man-portable air defense systems.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
Shoigu stressed that this fortified area had been created for nine years, and the fact that the enemy's resistance was broken was a great success for all units and formations of the group.
The President noted that the Ukrainian military leadership issued an order to withdraw its armed forces from Avdiivka when they were already on the move and leaving it.
— As I understand it, this was done for political reasons in order to cover up this move and give it the appearance of an organized withdrawal. We see and know that this is not the case, that it was actually an escape — in the truest sense of the word," Putin stressed.
The Head of State noted the contribution of the Veterans group, whose units walked 3 km through an underground pipe with a diameter of just over a meter and entered the enemy's rear, where they captured 19 buildings and held the defense for several days.
"This is a special page in the history of military operations in general, in Russia as a whole, while protecting vital interests," Vladimir Putin commented on their actions.
All military units, all military personnel, of course, deserve the highest awards, encouragement and words of gratitude from the country, from the people, Putin said.
The President separately stressed that the Ukrainian formations do not act independently, but are controlled from abroad.
"They have set up some kind of headquarters abroad, outside Ukraine, which is really planning these operations," the head of state said.
"It's not even an external control, it's just the control of all forces," Shoigu confirmed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (left)
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexander Kazakov
The first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, Alexei Zhuravlev, who is now in Avdiivka, assured that "no one is going to rest on their laurels here."
— Let's go further, pushing the front line to the west in order to turn a strategic success, which, of course, is the capture of this city, into a full—scale offensive, - the deputy told Izvestia. — In general, I must say that the situation in the SVO zone is quite favorable for us, an overwhelming advantage in almost all directions. And the morale of the Russian soldier is disproportionately higher than that of the enemies. Of course, we need to use this, and although it is difficult to predict what the General Staff will do in the near future, I would suggest that the next steps, if properly planned, could lead to the widespread collapse of the front of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The bridgehead in Krynki has been eliminated
At a meeting with Sergei Shoigu, Vladimir Putin said that the village of Krynki on the left bank of the Dnieper is also under full control of Russian troops. During the summer counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces crossed the river and dug in at this settlement. However, they could not advance further, while Russian troops continuously attacked them.
Sergei Shoigu reported that the main breakthrough site was planned in the Krynok area, and four brigades of the 30th Marine Corps of the enemy were concentrated in this direction. These were well-equipped, trained, rested formations, which, according to the Ukrainian plan, were supposed to break through and create a springboard for further advance and deployment of forces.
According to the data provided by the head of the military department, the enemy lost 3.4 thousand people in the Krynok area.
A soldier of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
Vladimir Putin noted with what tenacity the Ukrainian formations crossed over to Krynki.
— The enemy is carrying out absolutely reckless actions from a military point of view. It's like a trap: they climbed and climbed into this trap," the president drew attention. "But anyway, judging by the practice that we are witnessing, these reckless actions may happen again, so I ask you to keep this in mind," he said.
"It's a one—way road," Shoigu agreed.
According to Sergei Shoigu, the work on squeezing the AFU out of the Crimea was not easy: there were constant shelling from the right bank, artillery and drones were actively working. For the first time, Ukrainian militants used the delivery of ammunition not only by boats, but also by drones.
Krynki is an important springboard, the liberation of which will allow our servicemen to solve more difficult tasks in this area, military expert Gennady Alekhine told Izvestia.
"If we observe the line of contact now, then we can identify several areas along it where offensive actions on our part are intensifying," he noted. — For example, the largest fortified area of Avdiivka was recently liberated, now Krynki. We are not just leveling the line of combat contact, where the enemy is wedged in, but also occupying advantageous lines that will allow us to enter the "operational space" and conduct more large-scale offensive actions. The same is true in the Kharkiv direction. We enter the left-bank bridgehead from the flanks and actually cut off the left bank of the Oskol River. This is Kupyansk — the most important transport hub, a direct road to Izyum, Balakleya and Kharkov. There is an offensive trend in these several directions.
The expert stressed that all this happens with active fire support from the air and ground.
— Now there will be a lot of cleaning work going on in Krynki. It involves the same groups and detachments that participated in the assault operations. Every block, every street is being combed, and sappers play a huge role here. There is always a job for them, but now it is double. Our military has already gained experience in cleaning up such neighborhoods and industrial zones, but the enemy always comes up with some kind of traps. In particular, during the cleaning of Artemovsk, a book "Scarlet Sails" was found in the residential sector and a mine was laid in it," explained Gennady Alekhine.
According to him, the Russian Armed Forces have already prepared reserves, the second echelon, which has come closer to the line of contact.
— Unlike the Ukrainian side, we do not say where we are going to attack or strike the main blow. The very course of the fighting suggests that we are on the eve of launching some more powerful offensive strikes," he summed up. — And the fact that our fighters acted effectively in Avdiivka is in many cases unconventionally recognized even by Ukrainians and their commanders. What is our passage through the Tsarskaya Hota tunnel worth, and this is far from an isolated example.
Moscow is ready for negotiations
During the meeting with the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Putin raised a question unrelated to the events of the special military operation: it was about the noise raised in the West about Russia's alleged possible deployment of nuclear weapons in space.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (left)
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexander Kazakov
— Our position is clear and transparent: we have always been categorically against and are now against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. On the contrary, we urge not only to comply with all agreements that exist in this area, but also offered to strengthen this joint work many times. But now, for some reason, this topic is being raised again in the West, and on a rather high emotional note. How do you explain this? — the president addressed the Minister of Defense.
Sergei Shoigu confirmed that Russia has no plans to deploy nuclear or any other weapons in space.
"They know we don't have it, but they're making a fuss anyway. The surprise is something else — everyone knows what we have. And you openly said this in 2018 in a message to the Federal Assembly, in fact to the whole world. They know that we have a fairly high stage of completion of work on Poseidon, Peresvet, Petrel, and Sarmat. The work on the Avangard has already been completed, two regiments are already practically on combat duty. You can add a few more options to this. For some reason, they don't talk about it, but they really should have been afraid of it. In our opinion, they don't talk about it because they don't have it," the Defense minister said.
According to Shoigu, the noise was raised to scare and push US senators when allocating funds "not just for Ukraine, but in order to confront Russia and inflict a strategic defeat on it." And the second reason is the desire of Western countries to encourage Russia, "maybe so clumsily, to a dialogue on strategic stability."
Vladimir Putin agreed with this assessment.
"In space, we only do what other countries, including the United States, have, and of course you're right, they know about it," the president said. — As for negotiations, we have never been against negotiations, we have always been in favor of negotiations. This also applies to the Ukrainian direction. I have already said a hundred times that we did not interrupt the dialogue, it was the Ukrainian side that interrupted the dialogue, and on direct command from London and Washington.
The President noted that Western countries, on the one hand, are calling for the strategic defeat of Russia, and on the other hand, they allegedly intend to negotiate on strategic stability.
"If they seek to inflict a strategic defeat on us, then we must think about what strategic stability is for our country," Vladimir Putin said. — And that's why we don't reject anything, we don't give up anything, but we need to figure out what they want. They tend to want to achieve unilateral advantages. That's not going to happen.
Nevertheless, contacts are possible through the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President concluded.
Roman Kretsul
Julia Leonova
Alyona Nefedova
