Elena Teslova
26 June 2023•Update: 26 June 2023
MOSCOW
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on Monday visited the forward command post of the country's West group of forces.
Shoygu heard a report by the West group commander Colonel-General Yevgeny Nikiforov on the current situation and adjusting the work of reserves that are being formed, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, accompanied by a video, showing Shoygu flying a plane and talking to other military chiefs.
The minister instructed the command staff to continue active reconnaissance to reveal the opponent's plans in advance and prevent their implementation on the distant approaches to the line of contact, the statement said.
"Shoygu paid special attention to the organization of comprehensive provision of armies involved in a special military operation and the creation of conditions for the safe deployment of personnel," it said.
The defense minister also praised the efficiency of the West group of forces in detecting and defeating opponent's equipment and personnel, it noted.
This is the first public appearance of the defense minister since the aborted Wagner rebellion, which aimed to overthrow Shoygu.
The paramilitary Wagner group accused Russian forces on Friday of attacking its fighters and the group subsequently crossed from Ukraine into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. In response, the Federal Security Service in Russia initiated a criminal case against Wagner for "armed rebellion." Russian President Vladimir Putin called Wagner's uprising as an act of "treason."
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin later claimed his fighters decided to turn back to avoid bloodshed when they were 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Moscow, while Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he held talks with the Wagner head with Putin's accord, and Prigozhin accepted a de-escalation deal. Prigozhin has, in recent months, repeatedly accused Shoygu of not supplying sufficient arms to the paramilitary group.
