Russia’s defense minister said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian army’s resources are nearly exhausted as Kiev is launching a counter-offensive, which began in June, to recapture Moscow-held territories.
Speaking at an international security conference in Moscow, Serguei Shoigu said Kiev was “not achieving any results” despite “full support” from the West.
“Ukrainian military resources are practically exhausted,” Shoigu said, quoted by the French agency AFP.
Western allies have provided Ukraine with weapons to counter the Russian invasion that began on February 24, 2022.
Shoigu said Western weapons have “nothing unique or invulnerable” to Moscow’s troops.
“We are ready to share our assessments of the weaknesses of Western equipment,” he told an audience of military leaders from different countries.
The 11th Moscow Conference on International Security, hosted by the Russian military near the capital, officially welcomes more than 800 guests from 76 countries, but none from the West.
Shoigu accused the West of provoking conflict around the world, exacerbating the situation surrounding the China-Taiwan conflict, using methods it used in the Ukraine issue.
Moscow plans to further strengthen military cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including North Korea, said Shoigu, quoted by Russia’s official TASS agency.
Russia will also expand military cooperation with African countries, which must have “modern, trained and well-equipped armed forces that can respond independently to challenges and threats to their own security,” he said.
Shoigu also accused Ukraine of using the agreement to export grain across the Black Sea as a cover to store military equipment in port areas, a claim that would justify the recent bombing of cities like Odessa.
Shoigu said Western allies were aware of these facts and regretted that the UN had not even taken them into account when asking for an extension of the export pact, according to Spain’s Europa Press agency.
In mid-July, Russia broke the agreement, which had been in place for more than a year, and has since carried out several bombings in areas that had been protected for months.
The United Nations, which negotiated the agreements with Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, has called for the renewal of the pacts to avoid the impact of the war on food security.
The defense minister admitted that the offensive in Ukraine proved to be a “severe test” for the Russian military, but noted that Russia managed to significantly increase the production of armored vehicles.
The conference is part of a trade show for the Russian defense industry that runs through Sunday.
The state-owned Rostec said the forum will present the latest Russian artillery systems, taking into account the experience of the war in Ukraine and the characteristics of NATO equipment seized by Ukrainian forces.
Moscow expected contracts worth more than 433 billion rubles (4.1 billion euros at current exchange rates) to be signed in the forum.
Source: DN
