Europe 1 with AFP 09:56, March 04, 2023

On the 373rd day of the Russian invasion, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected a 'command post' at the frontline in eastern Ukraine, his ministry said on Saturday, as the battle rages for the symbolic city of Bakhmout.

THE ESSENTIAL

In a press release, the Russian Ministry of Defense indicated that Sergei Shoigu had "inspected a command post on the front", in "the Donetsk-South direction", without specifying the exact place or the date of this visit.

The main information to remember:

  • Russian Defense Minister made risky visit to Ukraine's eastern front

  • Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting, is 'virtually surrounded' according to Friday's claims by the Wagner Group

Visit under high voltage

The ministry released a video showing Sergei Shoigu traveling in a helicopter, then talking - without a helmet or bulletproof vest - with a soldier in front of damaged buildings, under the guard of a soldier.

In this video, we also see the minister presenting medals to Russian soldiers.

According to the ministry, Sergei Shoigu listened to a report from the commander of the "East" armed group, General-Colonel Rustam Muradov.

"The minister paid particular attention to the organization of full support for the forces of the group," the ministry said in its statement.

>> READ ALSO -

 War in Ukraine: how Kiev is preparing the reintegration of Crimea

Bakhmout "virtually surrounded" according to Wagner

This visit comes as fierce fighting continues for control of Bakhmout, in the Donetsk region, a locality of limited strategic value but which has become a symbol because the two sides have been clashing there for months.

The day before, Yevgeny Prigojine, the boss of the paramilitary group Wagner which is on the front line in the battle of Bakhmout, claimed that the city was "virtually surrounded" in a video where he appeared in combat gear, visibly on the Ukrainian front .

Yevgeny Prigojine strongly criticized, on several occasions, the command of the Russian regular forces, accusing it of not supporting Wagner's fighters sufficiently.

At the end of December, Sergei Shoigu had made two such visits to the area of ​​the "special operation" in Ukraine.