MOSCOW (Realist English). The commander of the Joint Group of troops in the area of the special operation on the territory of the former Ukraine, General of the Army Sergei Surovikin, for the first time after his appointment to the post, in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel, spoke about the situation at the front, assessed the situation in the Kherson region, and also outlined the tasks of the Russian Army in the area of the SMO.
“On the whole, the situation in the zone of the special military operation can be described as tense. The enemy does not abandon attempts to attack the positions of Russian troops. First of all, this applies to Kupyansk, Krasnolimansky and Nikolayev-Krivoy Rog directions. The enemy is a criminal regime that pushes the citizens of the Ukraine to the death. The Ukrainians and we are one people and we wish one thing, that the Ukraine be an independent state from the West and NATO friendly to Russia,” the general explained.
Every day, the APU lose from 600 to 1000 people killed and wounded
According to him, the Kiev regime is still trying to break through the Russian defenses:
“To do this, the APU is pulling up all available reserves to the front line. Basically, these are territorial defense forces that have not completed a full course of training.
In fact, the Ukrainian leadership is condemning them to destruction. As a rule, such units have low morale. To prevent flight from the front line, the Ukrainian authorities use nationalist detachments that shoot everyone who tries to leave the battlefield. Every day, the enemy’s losses range from 600 to 1000 people killed and wounded.”
The commander of the special operation stressed that Russia has a different strategy, which Vladimir Putin has already mentioned.
“We do not strive for high rates of advancement, we take care of every soldier and methodically “grind” the advancing enemy. This not only minimizes our losses, but also significantly reduces the number of civilian casualties.
Currently, the United Group of Troops is taking measures to increase the combat and numerical strength of formations and military units, create additional reserves, equip defensive lines and positions along the entire line of contact.
Strikes with precision weapons against military facilities and infrastructure affecting the combat capability of Ukrainian troops continue,” he added.
Efficacy of aviation complexes and air defense systems
General Surovikin noted that the special military operation confirmed the efficacyof the aviation complexes and air defense systems we have in service:
“During the operation, the crews of tactical, army and long-range aviation carried out more than 34 thousand sorties. They have used more than seven thousand guided aircraft weapons. The newest hypersonic aviation missiles Kinzhal (“Dagger”) have proven themselves well in hitting objects. None of the enemy’s air defense systems is a threat for this missile. Strategic air-launched cruise missiles also showed the highest accuracy.
In terms of the quality of combat use, I would like to highlight the multifunctional fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft. Having a wide range of weapons, in each sortie it solves the multifaceted tasks of defeating air and ground targets.
More than 8 thousand sorties have been carried out by unmanned aircraft, and more than 600 objects of the Armed Forces of the Ukraine have been destroyed by strike drones.”
On the situation in the Kherson region
According to the commander, “a difficult situation has developed in Kherson.”
“The enemy purposefully strikes at infrastructure facilities and residential buildings in Kherson. The Antonovsky Bridge and the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station were damaged by the hits of “Haimars” rockets. The traffic on them has been stopped.
As a result, the delivery of food to the city has been hindered, there are certain problems with water and electricity supply. All this not only significantly complicates the life of the citizens, but also creates a direct threat to their lives,” he explained.
Surovikin said that the NATO leadership has long demanded offensive operations in the Kherson direction from the Kiev regime, “regardless of any victims — both in the Armed Forces themselves and among the civilian population”:
“We have intelligence on the possibility of the Kiev regime using prohibited methods of war in the area of the city of Kherson, on the preparation by Kiev of a massive missile strike on the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam, a massive indiscriminate rocket and artillery strike on the city.
These actions can lead to the destruction of the infrastructure of a large industrial center and large civilian casualties.
In these conditions, our first priority is to preserve the lives and health of civilians. Therefore, first of all, the Russian army will ensure the safe, already announced departure of the population according to the resettlement program being prepared by the Russian government.”
He added that our further plans and actions regarding the city of Kherson itself will depend on the current military-tactical situation.
“I repeat, it is already very difficult today. In any case, as I have already said, we will proceed from the need to preserve the lives of civilians and our military personnel as much as possible. We will act consciously, in a timely manner, not excluding the adoption of difficult decisions,” the commander of the Joint Group of troops in the area of the special operation summed up.
