Russia "Adjusting Speed to Reduce Civilian Casualties"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] On the 24th (local time), the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it deliberately slowed down the pace of its military operations in Ukraine to prevent civilian casualties.

According to Reuters, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers' meeting held in Uzbekistan on the same day, "Everything is being done to avoid civilian casualties," adding, "Of course, this slows down the offensive speed, but we are doing this intentionally."

He also stated, "We strictly adhere to humanitarian law during the 'special military operation,'" and added, "We are striking Ukrainian military facilities such as military command posts, airfields, storage facilities, fortresses, and defense industry complexes with precision weapons."

He emphasized, "All processes are proceeding as planned, and the objectives will be achieved."

Since the beginning of the war, Russia attempted to capture the capital Kyiv quickly but failed, then revised its military objectives to focus on controlling the eastern region and launched offensives, but Reuters reported that there has been little progress in recent months.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as of the 21st, the number of civilian deaths in Ukraine since the start of the war is 5,587, with 7,980 injured. Ukrainian military authorities estimate about 9,000 soldiers have died.

Minister Shoigu also shifted responsibility for the ongoing civilian casualties in Ukraine onto Ukraine itself.

He claimed, "The Ukrainian military is using scorched earth tactics and blatantly violating international law, acting like terrorists," and "They are establishing bases in residential areas, hospitals, schools, and even kindergartens, deploying tanks and artillery, using civilians as human shields."

He further stated, "The Ukrainian military is deliberately shelling residential areas and laying anti-personnel mines to cause as much damage as possible to civilians and civilian facilities."

On the other hand, he said, "The Russian military is systematically working to restore peaceful life in the liberated areas," and "providing humanitarian aid to local residents and helping to restore infrastructure and support systems."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.