Russia says first phase of war is over as its advances in Ukraine appear to have stalled
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“In common, the most important duties of the to start with stage of the operation have been accomplished,” Colonel Standard Sergei Rudskoy, initially deputy main of Russia’s Basic Staff, stated in a Friday briefing. “The fight likely of the armed forces of Ukraine has been substantially decreased, enabling us, I emphasize once more, to concentration the major efforts on attaining the main intention – the liberation of Donbas.”
“The public and unique experts are questioning what we are performing in the area of the blockaded Ukrainian cities,” Rudskoy mentioned. “These actions are carried out with the aim of producing these destruction to armed service infrastructure, tools, personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the success of which allow us not only to tie down their forces and avoid them from strengthening their grouping in the Donbas, but also will not allow them to do this right until the Russian army fully liberates the territories of the DPR and LNR.”
Rudskoy was referring to the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, separatist territories in eastern Ukraine that Russia regarded on the eve of its invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has mentioned that the goal of what Russian officials refer to euphemistically as the “distinctive armed forces procedure” in Ukraine is the total demilitarization of the place. Putin has stated the war is heading in accordance to program, but Russian forces have incurred critical losses: Rudskoy stated in the identical briefing that 1,351 navy personnel experienced been killed in Ukraine and 3,825 experienced been wounded. US, NATO and Ukrainian officials estimate the Russian casualty count is significantly higher.
“Initially, we did not approach to storm them in get to avoid destruction and lessen losses amid staff and civilians,” Rudskoy claimed. “And despite the fact that we do not exclude these types of a possibility, even so, as person groupings total the jobs set, and they are productively solved, our forces and implies will be concentrated on the key factor — the full liberation of Donbas.”
It is unclear if Rudskoy’s statement indicates a shifting of the goalposts for the Russian army, or just represents a modify in general public messaging.
The Russian army has claimed it is not concentrating on civilians or household places, despite frustrating evidence to the contrary.
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