Russian army chief pays surprise visit to frontline HQ (VIDEO)
The chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, has met with commanders in charge of southeastern frontline operations in the conflict with Ukraine, and thanked personnel for making territorial gains, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
According to the statement, Gerasimov visited a command-and-control center of the ‘East’ group of forces at an undisclosed location, where he was briefed on the battlefield situation by Lieutenant General Alexandr Sanchik and other officials.
Gerasimov reportedly “noted the successes of the ‘East’ group of forces during the liberation of the village of Urozhaynoye and set tasks for further actions.” The Donbass settlement, which was one of few areas taken by Ukrainian troops during their failed counteroffensive last year, was seized by Moscow last week.
The chief of General Staff also spoke with and handed out awards to numerous soldiers and officers who had distinguished themselves in the fighting.
Gerasimov inspected several “combat robotic systems successfully used in assault operations” in the area, the statement said. The ministry released a video showing the general examining military vehicles, including an all-terrain land drone fitted with a heavy machine gun turret.
Russian forces have been making steady gains in Donbass in recent months. In June, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the recapture of the strategically important village of Rabotino, which, like Urozhaynoye, became the scene of fierce fighting during the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
