The Russian Armed Forces have completed the main task of the outgoing year, thwarting the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoigu said at the conference call.
"The main efforts of the outgoing year were focused on achieving the goals of the special military operation. The main one was to disrupt the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian armed forces, loudly proclaimed by Ukraine and its NATO allies. This task was successfully accomplished," Shoigu said.
This was achieved thanks to effectively constructed defensive lines, the reliability of equipment and the decisive actions of the soldiers, the minister added.
Shoigu also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had praised the work of the leadership and personnel of the country's defense ministry and thanked them for conscientiously fulfilling the tasks assigned to them.
The minister added that the Russian military was taking more and more advantageous positions and expanding the controlled territories in all directions in the zone of the special military operation.
"The Russian army is constantly taking more favorable positions and expanding controlled territories in all directions. We are consistently moving towards achieving the stated goals of the special operation," he said.
Moreover, according to Shoigu, the Ministry of Defense commemorates each defender of the Motherland who sacrificed his or her life while performing military duties. Support for the participants of the special military operation, as well as for the families of the fallen soldiers, remains a priority of the ministry.
Apart from that, the minister said that the Russian military-industrial complex had significantly increased its production volume to meet the needs of the operation.
"To ensure uninterrupted supply of troops involved in the special military operation zone, enterprises of the military-industrial complex have significantly increased the production of the most popular types of weapons and means of destruction, many have switched to round-the-clock operation," Shoigu said.
Thus, according to the minister, Russian defense industry workers challenged the "vaunted Western military-technical potential."
The Russian special military operation was launched on February 24, 2022, with the aim of "protecting people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years," as the Russian president stated.
Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that all the tasks set in the operation zone will be achieved, despite the pressure from the West and the sanctions it has imposed on Russia. Earlier in December, Putin highlighted that "there will be peace when Russia achieves its goals in the special operation."