(Reuters) – Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has visited the frontline headquarters of the “Centre” army group involved in the Ukrainian conflict, Russian news agencies cited the defence ministry as saying on Friday.
Shoigu was briefed by a group commander and thanked officers and troops for “conducting successful operations” near Lyman, Interfax reported.
He was also shown a Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicle that was abandoned by retreating Ukrainian soldiers after being hit by a hand-held anti-tank grenade, and Shoigu was briefed about the “shortcomings” of the Swedish model, Interfax said.
The report was in line with Russian efforts to play down the effectiveness of weapons and equipment that NATO members and other Western countries have supplied to Ukraine.
Shoigu’s trip came days after a visit to the front line by General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff and overall commander of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
Both men had been savagely attacked by Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary group, who repeatedly accused them of incompetence and remoteness before launching a brief mutiny against the defence establishment in June.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Robert Birsel)
