Russia claims Ukraine's counteroffensive has failed to achieve its goals

MOSCOW

Russia on Tuesday claimed that Ukraine’s counteroffensive has failed to achieve its goals.

Speaking at a meeting with military chiefs in Moscow, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said Kyiv lost tens of thousands of manpower and thousands of units of military equipment since the beginning of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

"Trying to hide the failure of the offensive, Ukrainian militants attack civilian targets and pass off these terrorist attacks as military victories," Shoygu said.

The situation on the Zaporizhzhia front is “most tense,” he said, adding: “The opponent brought into the battle brigades from the strategic reserve, the personnel of which were trained under the guidance of Western instructors."

The minister said that the Russian military has “significantly improved” its positions on Kupyansk and Kremen fronts.

The minister also welcomed the outcome of the Russian military forum, Army-2023, which he said helped garner 20 new contracts worth more than 400 billion rubles ($4.14 billion).

The Moscow Conference on International Security, held in parallel with the Army-2023 forum, gathered 800 delegates from 76 countries, including 26 defense ministers, he said.