The special military operation in Ukraine will continue until the goals set are achieved, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said.
The main goals of the first stage of the special military operation in Ukraine have been accomplished, Ukraine’s armed forces sustained substantial losses, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a teleconference on Tuesday, TASS reports.
"First, about the special military operation of Russia’s armed forces on Ukrainian territory. Overall, the main goals of the first stage have been accomplished. The combat potential of the Ukrainian armed forces has significantly decreased which allows to focus the main attention and main efforts on achieving the main goal - the liberation of Donbass," he said.
According to his assessment, "Ukraine’s armed forces have sustained substantial losses." "Air supremacy has been achieved. The air force and the air defense system have been practically eliminated," the defense minister noted.
He reported that out of 152 warplanes the Ukrainian armed forces had before the start of the operation, 123 have been eliminated, as well as 77 helicopters out of 149 and 152 long-and medium-range ADMS out of 180.
"The country’s naval forces have ceased to exist. Significant losses were sustained by all the units of ground and air assault troops," he noted.
In the course of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine about 600 foreign mercenaries were killed over the past two weeks and more than 500 others fled the country, Sergey Shoigu said.
"Over the past two weeks more than 500 mercenaries have left the country and about 600 others were eliminated," Shoigu said in a distance conference on Tuesday.
He stressed that "systematic operations are continuing to track down and eliminate foreign mercenaries."
"Strikes with smart weapons against mercenaries’ training centers and also losses in combat have considerably reduced their presence in Ukraine," Shoigu said.
