Russian Ministry Of Defenses Says Ukraine’s Hyped Up Counteroffensive,…
Kiev hyped up its counteroffensive so much that many of its allies expected to see substantial results by the start of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told reporters on July 11.
“I think they have touted and hyped up this counteroffensive issue so much that practically, if not half the world, then a third of it for sure, was waiting for the 11th to take stock of some results such as what was achieved by this widely touted and anticipated thing they called a strategic counteroffensive,” he said, responding to a question about the chances of a Ukrainian advance through the Zaporozhye region towards the Crimean Peninsula.
Shoigu went on to reveal that Kiev forces have lost over 26,000 troops and more than 3,000 pieces of military hardware since the start of their so-called spring counteroffensive on June 4.
According to the minister, Russian forces destroyed 21 fighter jets, five helicopters, 1,244 tanks and other armored vehicles, including 17 German-made Leopard tanks, five French-made AMX-10 RC tank destroyers and 12 American-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
914 special automotive equipment, two air defense systems, 25 multiple-launch rocket systems as well as 403 field artillery guns and mortars were also destroyed.
In addition, Russian air defense systems shot down 176 HIMARS precision-guided rockets, 27 Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles and 483 drones of the Kiev forces.
“Once again, I repeat, 403 [artillery] weapons [have been destroyed], including 43 American -made artillery pieces and 46 self-propelled artillery weapons from Poland, the United States and France,” the minister emphasized.
He added that Russian troops continue to strike the enemy’s reserves and West-supplied military equipment with its high-precision weapons, thus reducing the offensive potential of Kiev forces.
Foreign intelligence services, primarily those of the U.S. and other NATO members, are closely following and analyzing Russia’s combat operations, Shoigu said, noting the high efficacy of Russian “defense lines and barrier minefields, [and the] professional work of army aviation and ground-attack aircraft who carry out pre-emptive strike at the adversary’s targets.”
The minister also confirmed that Russian forces launched a counteroffensive in the Krasny Liman direction, advancing 1.5 kilometers in depth and 2 kilometers along the front.
“In the Krasny Liman direction, the assault teams of the 15th and 21st motor rifle brigades from the battlegroup Center repelled an attack by a Ukrainian motorized infantry company near the settlement of Karmazinovka. By inflicting damage by firepower, Russian units switched to a counter-attack, advancing 1.5 km in depth and 2 km along the front,” the minister said. “Over 70 Ukrainian personnel and eight infantry fighting vehicles were destroyed in repelling a Ukrainian army attack near Rabotino. Therefore, all of the Ukrainian army’s offensive plans were thwarted.”
Shoigu went on to reveal that the amount of weapons and equipment, purchased and modernized for the Russian Military grew more than fivefold in 2023 in comparison with early 2022.
“[The figure] in 2023 is five times more compared to early 2022,” he said.
The minister added that since March 2022, the amount of purchased and modernized weaponry and equipment, delivered under the state defense procurement order, has increased by 1.8 times.
“A lot is being done, to say the least. All this effort began in 2022. Within the shortest time frame, defense industry enterprises have managed to boost the production of weapons, military and special equipment that are in particularly high demand for fulfilling combat tasks, and, most importantly, to ensure their prompt delivery to the troops,” he explained.
Providing an example, the minister said that the supplies of Orlan reconnaissance drones surged by 53 times from the start of 2022.
“Supplies of the Orlan-10 and Orlan-30 UAVs surged by 53 times. Operations are underway 24/7 and they are very efficient. Kamaz boosted deliveries of multirole vehicles by 17.6 times. Uralvagonzavod ramped up supplies and overhaul of T-72 and T-90 tanks by 3.6 times. The Kurgan machine-building plant scaled up BMP-3 deliveries and overhaul by 2.1 times,” Shoigu said.
While the information revealed by the Russian defense minister provides a new insight on the current status of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, they are not surprising.
Kiev forces have failed to make any meaningful gains since launching the counteroffensive over a month ago. Their combat capabilities also appear to be degrading, despite receiving tens of billions worth of military aid from the U.S. and other NATO members. Still, Kiev will not likely halt the counteroffensive for political reasons.
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