Moscow, Dec 18 (EFE).- The Russian army has taken the initiative and is advancing across the entire Ukrainian front, the military chief, General Valery Gerasimov, said on Wednesday.
“The Russian forces keep the initiative and advance in the whole front despite colossal aid to Kyiv from the West,» said the chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces during a meeting with military attachés from embassies accredited in Moscow.
He noted that the United States and its allies have dramatically increased military and technical assistance to Ukraine, with over 30 countries providing military equipment to Kyiv.
The US, Great Britain, Germany, France, and Denmark have made the most significant contributions.
Gerasimov said Western nations had sent a total of $350 billion to Ukraine, with $170 billion allocated for military needs.
“The Russian armed forces have accumulated major combat experience in the engagement of various arms of forces. The aims of the operation will be definitely achieved.”
He said over 190 residential settlements were “liberated this year” and close to 4,500 square kilometers of territory came under Russian control.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov noted on Monday that Ukraine controls only 25-30 percent of the Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions, and just 1 percent of the Luhansk region, all of which were annexed by Moscow on September 30, 2022.
The Russian military command also reported the conquest of two new localities in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk as part of an offensive targeting the strategic stronghold of Pokrovsk. EFE
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