MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military continues suffering heavy losses in the Nikolayev-Krivoi Rog and other areas to create an illusion for Western patrons that it can make an advance, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the ministry’s conference call on Friday.
"The Ukrainian military continues its attempt to advance in the Nikolayev-Krivoi Rog area and in other directions and the enemy is suffering heavy casualties," Shoigu said.
The Russian defense chief also spoke about the Ukrainian army’s losses over the past month, touched upon the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and summed up the results of the Army 2022 international military-technical forum and the Moscow Conference on International Security.
TASS has put together major highlights of the defense chief's report.
Ukraine situation
The Ukrainian military continues its attempt to advance in the Nikolayev-Krivoi Rog area and in other directions and the enemy is suffering heavy casualties: "The attempt of an offensive was planned by the office of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky with the aim of creating the Western patrons’ illusion that Ukraine’s military can make an advance."
In the Kherson-Nikolayev area near Aleksandrovka, the Russian troops approached the administrative border of the Nikolayev Region and liberated the settlement of Blagodatnoye. In the Donbass area, they gained control of the Ukrainian military’s major stronghold in the settlement of Peski. Upon its retreat, the Ukrainian army left over a large number of weapons and wounded servicemen who received medical assistance from Russian medics, Shoigu said.
"We will continue liberating Donbass and creating conditions that guarantee the security of the Russian Federation," the defense chief stressed.
Ukrainian army’s losses
In the past month, the Ukrainian military lost 601 heavy armaments and artillery systems mostly of Western manufacture, 19 aircraft, 6 helicopters and 188 unmanned aerial vehicles. The Russian air defense systems intercepted 226 HIMARS rockets that Washington supplied to the Kiev regime, Shoigu said.
In addition, the Russian forces hit 174 Ukrainian brigade-and battalion-level command posts.
The inflow of foreign mercenaries in Ukraine has been falling amid the Ukrainian military’s heavy losses. Their number has dwindled by more than three and a half times since the start of Russia’s special military operation. In addition, over this period, the foreign mercenaries’ losses amounted to 2,831 killed militants, he specified.
Situation at Zaporozhye NPP
The Ukrainian military continues shelling the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP), despite the arrival of a mission of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) experts at the nuclear facility, and attempted to seize it on September 1. Such "reckless actions" encourage the United States and the European Union, which "are deliberately hushing up the situation around the station."
Since mid-July, the Ukrainian military has bombarded the Zaporozhye NPP 29 times, firing 120 artillery shells and launching 16 kamikaze drones.
The Kiev regime is "blatantly lying" that the Russian troops are shelling Ukrainian positions, using energy facilities as a cover: "I state responsibly that we have no heavy weapons on the premises of the nuclear station and the adjacent area. I hope that the IAEA mission will personally get convinced in that," Shoigu said.
"We expect that the impartial results of the IAEA mission’s work will be brought to the notice of the world public. I want to emphasize that in case of further provocations, the Ukrainian authorities will bear responsibility for potential accidents."
International events
The Moscow Conference on International Security underscored the West’s futile attempts to isolate Russia. "It gathered over 700 delegates from 70 countries and six international organizations. The defense ministers who spoke at the conference stated their support for the Russian leadership’s foreign policy and their intention to develop military and military-technical cooperation with Russia."
The Army 2022 international military-technical forum was attended by military delegations of 85 countries. A total of 36 state contracts worth over 525 billion rubles (about $8.8 billion) and export deals worth $592 million were inked at the Army 2022 international arms show, the defense chief said.
The International Army Games held alongside the Army 2022 military-technical forum "for the first time covered the territory of three continents." They brought together over 5,300 military personnel from 34 countries, more than 1,000 items of military hardware, aircraft, ships and vessels.
Also, the first International Anti-Fascist Forum was held as part of the Army 2022 military-technical forum, which will become a regular event from now on: "Considering the high interest that it has evoked from the public at large, a decision has been made to hold such forums annually," Shoigu said.