Combat missions: Shoigu instructed to increase the actions of the troops "South" and "Center" to prevent attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on civilians

The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu inspected the Russian groups of forces "South" and "Center", performing the tasks of a special military operation in Ukraine.

The head of the defense department heard reports from the commander of the "South" grouping, Army General Sergei Surovikin and the commander of the "Center" grouping, Colonel General Alexander Lapin, as well as other commanders on the current situation, the nature of the enemy's actions and the progress of the Russian Armed Forces in carrying out combat missions.

Shoigu gave instructions to further increase the actions of groups in all operational areas in order to exclude the possibility of the Kyiv regime to launch massive rocket and artillery strikes on civilian infrastructure and residents of settlements in Donbass and other regions.

Also, in pursuance of the decree of President Vladimir Putin, the Minister of Defense presented the Gold Star medals of the Hero of the Russian Federation to Colonel General Alexander Lapin and Major General Esedulla Abachev for their courage and heroism.

The day before, Russian troops launched a series of strikes on the points of temporary deployment of one of the artillery brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the nationalist formation "Kraken" in Kharkov.

As a result, up to 200 militants were eliminated, including about 50 foreign mercenaries.

A series of strikes were also carried out on other objects, as a result of which about 370 more nationalists were destroyed.

In total, since the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine, 253 aircraft, 137 helicopters, 1,543 drones, 355 anti-aircraft missile systems, 4,060 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 746 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems, 3,147 field artillery pieces and mortars, as well as 4,341 units have been destroyed. special military vehicles.

Shelling of the DNR and LNR

Over the past day on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, seven people were killed due to shelling by Ukrainian troops.

“From 08:00 on July 15 to 08:00 on July 16, as a result of the shelling of the VFU in the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic, seven people were killed and another 19 civilians were injured,” the DPR Territorial Defense Headquarters Telegram channel says.

Kirovsky, Petrovsky and Kyiv districts of Donetsk were fired upon. 

“A woman was killed along Partizansky Ave., a man and a child were wounded.

The injured have been hospitalized," the DPR Territorial Defense Headquarters said in a statement.

Panteleimonovka and Gorlovka (the village of Korolenko and the village of Ozeryanovka) also came under fire from the artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As a result of a direct hit by a Ukrainian shell on a residential building in Korolenko, the roof fell inside the house, and the gas pipeline was interrupted.

The man living in the house was not injured.

In addition, according to the representative office of the LPR in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire, Ukrainian troops fired a rocket from the HIMARS MLRS at the village of Skargovka.

“The shelling was recorded from the side of the armed formations of Ukraine: 04:06 a.m.

Skargovka village with the use of HIMARS MLRS (one missile),” the statement reads on the representative’s Telegram channel.

APU strikes on cultural objects

During the meeting of the UN Security Council, according to the Arria formula, Sergey Leonidchenko, senior adviser to the permanent mission of Russia to the world organization, said that Russia regularly notifies UNESCO about Ukraine's strikes on cultural objects.

“The UNESCO Secretariat regularly receives from us detailed reports on Ukrainian military attacks on cultural, historical and religious sites.

Only in the DPR and LPR they destroyed 63 such objects, ”TASS quoted the diplomat as saying.

He noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to destroy civilian and cultural objects now with the help of Western weapons.

“Against this background, statements by the United States and its NATO allies about millions of dollars worth of assistance in preserving cultural heritage sound at least hypocritical,” Leonidchenko added.