Russia has recently announced its scaled-back goals in the Ukraine war on Friday as the country's military forces stall and struggle to advance near the capital Kyiv due to steadfast defense.
Officials who are leading the invasion said that Moscow would be focusing its attention on territory claimed by Russian-backed separatists in the East. In the announcement of the scaled-back goals, the Russian Defense Ministry said that they would now prioritize the liberation of the Donbas region which is home to pro-Russia separatist enclaves.
Russia-Ukraine War
The head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operation Directorate, Sergei Rudskoi, said that Russia has significantly reduced the combat potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He noted this has allowed Moscow to focus on achieving its main goal, which is the Donbas region.
Military analysts argue that the decision to reframe Russia's goals may make it easier for President Vladimir Putin to claim a "face-saving" victory. Previously, Moscow said that its goal with the invasion was to demilitarize Ukraine. However, Western officials have said that it was a baseless pretext for a war that is believed to be seeking the toppling of the Ukrainian government, as per Reuters.
Rudskoi's remarks come amid the alleged stall of Russian military forces advancing near Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, such as Kharkiv. Furthermore, Moscow has failed to achieve air superiority in the region and has suffered heavy losses of troops since the beginning of the war a month ago.
President Putin previously claimed that the war on Ukraine was going according to plan as he initially called it a "special operation." In Rudskoi's briefing, he also noted that Russia has suffered the loss of 1,351 military personnel while 3,825 others have been injured. However, the U.S., NATO, and Ukrainian officials estimate the casualties to be much higher.
According to CNN, the top general said that Russia did not originally plan to siege Ukraine and wanted to prevent destruction and mitigate losses among personnel and civilians. Despite Rudskoi's remarks, it is unclear whether or not Russian troops will be shifting their posts or it was just a public message.
Failure to Capture Cities
The situation comes as Ukrainian deputy interior minister Anton Geraschenko posted a statement on Facebook noting that Russia defense minister Sergei Shoigu has been missing and has not made public appearances since mid-March. The official is believed to be suffering from health concerns and a potential heart attack.
Shoigu has not been seen for 12 days save for appearing on Russian television screens for a few seconds. Prior to that appearance, there were rumors that the official may have received punishment for the situation of the invasion of Ukraine and the failure to capture Kharkiv or Kyiv.
An independent Russian news website, Agentstvo, earlier cited an anonymous source when it said that the general, who was one of the most trusted men in the country, had experienced heart-related health issues. On the other hand, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, denied allegations of Shoigu being sick, saying the official had many concerns to attend to, The Guardian reported.
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