Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected the forward command post of the Russian Vostok group of troops in the South Donetsk direction during a trip to the NVO zone.

"At the command post, the head of the military department heard reports from the commander of the group and staff officers on the current situation, the nature of the enemy's actions and the performance of combat missions by Russian troops in the main tactical directions," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

As part of the report to the head of the defense department, the commander of the Vostok grouping, Lieutenant General Andrei Kuzmenko, reported on the implementation of the instruction to form full-time units for the use of UAVs, on staffing them with trained specialists, as well as on providing all units with strike and reconnaissance unmanned systems, including FPV drones.

Along with this, Kuzmenko reported on the peculiarities of the tactics of the assault detachments of the group's formations in cooperation with reconnaissance and fire systems when performing combat missions to capture the strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by assault groups.

  • Shoigu inspected the forward command post of the Russian Vostok group of troops

In addition, Shoigu heard reports from the chiefs of the branches of the armed forces and services on the organization of counter-battery warfare, as well as reports from the heads of the relevant services on the readiness of the group for action in the winter.

The Ministry of Defense noted that the head of the department paid special attention to the timely and sufficient provision of all personnel of the group with new winter uniforms, as well as the formation of an additional operational reserve of winter uniforms and insulated shoes.

The situation in the NWO zone

Oleksandr Savchuk, the head of the press center of the Center group, said that assault groups of several brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit in the Krasnolimansky direction.

"In the areas of the Yampolovsky and Torsky sections, the actions of units of the Center group of troops, artillery fire, strikes by assault and army aviation inflicted fire damage on the assault groups of the 21st and 63rd mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In total, more than 190 enemy targets were hit," he said.

In addition, air defense systems shot down a drone near Kreminna (LPR). In the course of counter-battery fighting, more than 30 enemy field artillery crews were exposed and suppressed, and five armored combat vehicles and four vehicles were destroyed. As Savchuk noted, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in manpower amounted to more than 125 servicemen.

The head of the press center of the "South" group, Vadym Astafiev, said that in the Donetsk direction, concentrations of enemy manpower in the areas of Klishchiivka, Andriivka and Kurdiumivka were hit. According to the Russian military, the Ukrainian side has lost more than 200 servicemen.

"In addition, radiation, chemical and biological protection units hit infantry groups from the 77th Separate Airmobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Artyomovsk with rockets of heavy flamethrower systems," Astafyev added.

Along with this, during the counter-battery fight, three Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery units, an American M777 gun, as well as a 122 mm Gvozdika self-propelled gun and a 120 mm mortar crew were destroyed.

In addition, nine unmanned aerial vehicles in the areas of the settlements of Zaitseve and Berestove, as well as five shells of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, were hit by air defense systems, electronic warfare and small arms fire.