According to Shoigu, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 8,000 soldiers in November, as well as a large amount of equipment, including aircraft.
“Enemy losses in November amounted to more than 8,300 military personnel, 5 aircraft, 10 helicopters, 149 tanks and more than 300 armored fighting vehicles,” Shoigu said.
The Minister added that a number of Donbas settlements have recently passed under the control of the RF Armed Forces: Mayorsk, Pavlovka, Opytnoye, Andreevka, Belogorovka Yuzhnaya and Kurdyumovka.
“Significant damage has occurred to the manpower and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Luhansk-Donetsk and Yuzhnodonetsk directions,” Shoigu said.
The minister stressed that the Ukrainian authorities are trying to create the appearance of a nuclear threat as they continue to bomb the ZNPP. According to him, in the last 2 weeks alone, the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired more than three dozen large-caliber shells at the nuclear power plant.
“Our divisions are taking all measures to ensure the safety of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. In turn, the Kyiv regime continues to deliberately bomb this object, trying to create the appearance of a threat of nuclear disaster. “In the last two weeks alone, 33 large-caliber shells have been fired at the station by the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Shoigu said.
He explained that most of the projectiles were blocked by Russian air defense systems, but “some still hit objects that affect the safe operation of the nuclear power plant.” The Russian military is nevertheless taking the necessary measures to ensure the safe operation of the ZNPP, as well as other critical facilities in the new areas.
“We classify attacks by Ukrainian troops as nuclear terrorism,” Shoigu said.
The Minister also said that the Russian Armed Forces carried out massive attacks with long-range precision weapons on the military command and control system of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, defense industry enterprises and related facilities “in order to crush the military potential of Ukraine”.
In addition, discussing the issue of the new academic year in the Ministry of Defense structures, Shoigu noted that the training of Russian military personnel will now be carried out taking into account the special operations experience in Ukraine.
“The main emphasis will be placed on the development of professional skills of all categories of military personnel, taking into account the experience of conducting a special military operation,” he said.
Crafting activated and new weapons
At a meeting a week ago, Shoigu said that nearly 3,000 instructors were involved in the training of the 300,000 mobilized people. He also proposed the establishment of 16 more military training centers for students in Russia.
“More than a hundred landfills were used on the territory of our country and the Republic of Belarus. “More than 300,000 reservists, including volunteers, were trained in two months,” Shoigu said.
According to him, about 8,000 combat vehicle and tank crews, artillery systems crews, air defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare systems and hardware communications were trained here. Shoigu noted that during the special operation, the Russian army actively tested new methods of warfare, missile troops and artillery, including drones as reconnaissance and offensive fire systems.
“Effective fire defeat of the enemy is an important component of the success of military operations. An important role in this is given to missile troops and artillery.<…> It is necessary to continue the modernization and creation of promising systems with their use during a special military operation, ”Shoigu assured.
The Minister also said that the permanent readiness units of the RF Armed Forces should be provided with weapons at the level of 97% next year.
“In the coming year, the volume of financing of the state defense order will increase by about 1.5 times, taking into account the additional budgetary funds allocated. This will make it possible to provide formations and military units with a constant readiness of weapons and equipment at the level of 97%,” he said.
At the same time, he noted that it is important to maintain the maximum possible volume of production, as well as to organize advanced deliveries to the troops – in this case, according to him, the state defense order will be fulfilled by 99%. Shoigu concluded that due to the military special operations in Ukraine and the partial mobilization announced in Russia, the requirements for the state defense order have increased at all levels of control and execution.