This morning Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, in a conference call with the leadership of the Russian armed forces, said that the special military operation in Ukraine will continue until its set goals are achieved. “The main task is to protect Russia from an external military threat from Western countries,” he said. “The main thing for us is to protect the Russian Federation from the military threat posed by Western countries that are trying to use the Ukrainian people in the fight against our country.”
Shoigu also noted that during the special military operation, the Russian army does not occupy Ukrainian territory and takes all measures to preserve the lives and safety of civilians. “I emphasize that the strikes are carried out only on military targets and exclusively with high-precision weapons,” he said. Shoigu charged that the Ukrainian forces are using civilians as human shields and are planting rocket launchers, mortars, and other heavy weapons in the courtyards of residential buildings and near schools and kindergartens.
