A Ukrainian serviceman mans a machine gun as he rides on a MaxxPro MRAP in the recently liberated village of Blagodatne, Donetsk region on June 16, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv’s forces are pushing onwards, and even the Russian army confirms that its positions in Urozhaine, another two kilometers south of Blagodatne, have come under attack. (AFP)
MOSCOW, Russia – Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Saturday called for more tanks to be manufactured “to meet the needs of Russian forces” in Ukraine after Kyiv launched a counteroffensive with Western arms.
Shoigu, who visited a military factory in western Siberia, stressed the need “to maintain the increased production of tanks” and better security features in armored vehicles, the defense ministry said.
Shoigu said this was necessary “to satisfy the needs of Russian forces carrying out the special military operation” launched by Moscow in Ukraine in February last year, it added.
Russia claims the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed but Kyiv says it has retaken several localities and about a 100 square kilometers of territory, mainly on the southern front.