Slowing down the pace of the offensive during a special military operation in Ukraine is a conscious decision; it is due to the desire to minimize casualties among civilians.
This was stated by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a meeting of the defense ministers of the SCO member countries.
“Everything is being done to avoid casualties among civilians. Of course, this slows down the pace of the offensive, but we are doing this consciously,” he said, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
However, Shoigu assured that the operation in Ukraine “is going according to plan, all tasks will be completed.”
However, the minister admitted that “the goal of the United States and its accomplices is the strategic exhaustion of Russia in order to eliminate competition and warn other states pursuing an independent foreign policy.”
According to Shoigu, “Ukrainian military formations are using scorched earth tactics, grossly violating international norms, and acting like terrorists.”
“They use residential buildings, schools, hospitals, kindergartens as firing positions, place tanks and artillery in them, and hide behind the population as a human shield. They are purposefully shelling and remotely mining populated areas with Lepestok anti-personnel mines with the obvious goal of causing as much damage as possible to civilians and infrastructure,” the minister listed.