MOSCOW, June 20. /TASS/. The Russian armed forces are deterring the counteroffensive by a NATO battlegroup that uses Ukrainian servicemen as manpower, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin, who is also chairman of the Russian Historical Society, said on Tuesday.

"I suggest giving close scrutiny to the 80th anniversary of the pivotal turning point in the Great Patriotic War (the Soviet Union’s 1941-1945 war against Nazi Germany - TASS)," he said at a general meeting of the Russian Historical Society, pointing out that today's situation is similar to that prevailing during the historic battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, "Each of them began with a defensive phase and ended with the complete defeat of the enemy." According to Naryshkin, "in many ways this echoes the heroic efforts of the Russian army, militiamen and volunteers, who today are holding back the so-called Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Azov region and Donbass."

"However, I think it would be more correct to say that our troops are holding back the counteroffensive of the so-called NATO battlegroup, which is using Ukrainian units as manpower," he pointed out.