“Shortly after arrival”: the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the destruction of hundreds of foreign mercenaries in Ukraine with high-precision weapons

Russian fighter jets shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 aircraft in the Mykolaiv region, said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov.

In turn, Russian air defense systems destroyed seven Ukrainian drones. 

At the same time, up to 240 nationalists, 39 weapons and military equipment, as well as 17 special vehicles were eliminated by air strikes.

Rocket troops and artillery hit 131 command posts, 146 artillery and mortar batteries in firing positions, as well as 579 areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“High-precision air-launched missiles hit 21 areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the command posts of the Ukrainian Nazi formations “Kraken” and “Azov” in the Kharkov region.

Operational-tactical, army and unmanned aircraft hit 15 areas of concentration of manpower and Ukrainian military equipment.

Depots of ammunition and fuel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Dolina and Slavyansk of the Donetsk People's Republic were destroyed, ”he said.

• © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry also said that since the beginning of May, the influx of foreign mercenaries to Ukraine to participate in hostilities against the Russian Armed Forces has “virtually dried up”.

So, their number has almost halved - from 6.6 thousand to 3.5 thousand.

“Hundreds of foreign mercenaries in Ukraine were destroyed by long-range Russian high-precision weapons shortly after their arrival in the places where they passed the additional.

training and coordination of tactical units.

But most of the mercenaries were destroyed in the combat zone due to the low level of training and the lack of real combat experience, ”Konashenkov emphasized.

He also pointed out that the commanders of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard donate foreigners in the first place.

In addition, the Kyiv regime is hushing up its own losses, so the relatives of the mercenaries simply do not know about their death, and also hinders the desire of foreign fighters to leave the territory of Ukraine.

“Let me remind you that, in accordance with international humanitarian law, mercenaries are not combatants, the best that awaits them is criminal liability.

Emergency attempts by the Kyiv regime to guarantee legal protection to mercenaries, including them in the list of military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the National Guard or issuing them fresh passports of citizens of Ukraine, will not save any of them, ”concluded the official representative of the Ministry of Defense.

Negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv

The negotiation process between Moscow and Kyiv is slowed down due to the position of the Ukrainian side, said the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov.

“The Russian side has made its demands very clear.

They are well known in Kyiv.

It is Kyiv that is now, in fact, freezing these negotiations, ”RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.

The official representative of the Kremlin believes that the Kyiv regime is acting, "apparently, under the pressure of its curators."

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Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with RT Arabic, pointed out that it is beneficial for the West to maintain “not very intellectually motivated intransigence” on the negotiation track.

At the same time, on June 2, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stated in his Telegram channel that the US leadership does not need an independent Ukraine, they want to “squeeze all resources” out of it and use it to weaken Russia.

Breaking the food blockade 

The food blockade of Crimea by Ukraine has been broken, Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser to the head of the region on information policy, said.

“The liberation of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions put an end to the food blockade of Crimea by Ukraine.

She is forever in the past.

Crimea and the liberated regions are actively restoring trade and economic ties that were once lost through the fault of Ukrainian nationalists, ”he emphasized in a conversation with RIA Novosti.

Earlier in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, they announced their intention to become part of the Russian Federation.

A dual-currency zone has been introduced in the regions, and there is also a transition to Russian mobile communications and the Internet.

At the same time, residents of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions can now obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner.

At the same time, State Duma deputy from the Crimean region Mikhail Sheremet proposed "not to stretch for a long and indefinite time" the process of integration of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions with Russia.

According to him, the inhabitants of these territories should understand how and in what direction their regions will develop.

“The plebiscite will become a fundamental, cementing and fundamental moment in making a fateful decision on choosing one's future.

Therefore, I see no analogues for today's referendum.

But it should be carried out only with confidence in complete safety for the population, which is still constantly intimidated by the Kyiv regime and Ukrainian nationalists, ”RIA Novosti quotes him.

Dialogue between Moscow and Washington

There is currently no dialogue between the Kremlin and the White House administration, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“You can say no, not now.

Now all contacts are virtually absent, ”he said in a conversation with RIA Novosti.

Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Grigory Mashkov also spoke in a similar way.

The diplomat stressed that Washington has taken a position that does not allow reaching any consensus.

“And so it was very difficult to work until February 24th.

After February 24, the possibilities for compromises were reduced, if not to zero, then to a minimum - in all the multilateral structures where we work, taking into account the line taken and promoted by them together with their allies, ”he stressed.