MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. Viktor Zolotov, who heads Russia’s National Guard, on Tuesday said the force senses the support of people in the liberated areas of Ukraine.
"I especially want to emphasize that we sense the support of the population in the liberated territories. They understand that we are protecting their right to a peaceful life, as well as a happy childhood for their children. This is the scope of the tasks that we are performing," he said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zolotov said that during the special military operation, the National Guard has been performing a wide range of tasks to ensure law and order as well as security, in addition to establishing a peaceful life in the liberated territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, as well as in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
"We are directly involved in the hostilities, such as recon, search and reconnaissance and ambush efforts. Furthermore, [we] pinpoint and wipe out the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups, and sabotage and terrorist groups; uncover weapons caches and conduct mine clearance. We are also engaged in intelligence collection, locating and destroying targets either using our own artillery, or, if our artillery doesn’t have enough firing range or firepower, we put in a request with the Defense Ministry, and they use their heavy artillery or aviation to inflict the damage on the enemy, and afterward we mop up these places," he specified.
Zolotov also noted that his agency holds meetings with the defense ministries of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. "Their defense ministries are engaged in the same objectives that Rosgvardia (the Russian National Guard) is engaged in, they perform some of these tasks. We deal with these issues, meet with the administration, and get these issues done," he said.