Ukraine: Russian Military Operations Failed to Achieve Major Goals

The Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Saturday that the Russian military operations in Ukraine have failed to achieve their major goals so far, according to Al-Arabiya news TV channel.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces destroyed 211 military facilities, 6 planes, one helicopter, and 5 drones in Ukraine.

"The Russian Armed Forces managed to destroy 211 military installations of the military infrastructure of Ukraine, including 17 command posts and communications centers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 19 S-300 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems, and 39 radar stations," the ministry said in a statement.

"Also, 6 combat aircraft and 5 helicopters were shot down. 67 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 16 multiple missile launchers, and 87 units of special military vehicles were destroyed."

The statement added, "During the ongoing military operation, many weapons handed over by Western countries to Ukraine during the past few months were confiscated … Among the weapons are the American Javelin anti-tank missile systems and the British NLAW systems."

The statement pointed out that the forces of the Donetsk and Lugansk continue to advance and attack the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the support of the Russian Armed Forces. It penetrated the defenses of the battalions of the nationalists, up to 25 kilometers and reached Volnovach.

On his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia does not want "neo-Nazis" to rule Ukraine, adding: "We are ready for talks once the Ukrainian army stops fighting. No one plans to attack the Ukrainian people."

“The rights of the residents of the Donbass region must be recognized, including their linguistic rights, and we will return to dialogue to liberate Ukraine from militarism and Nazism,” the Russian foreign minister added.

The Ukrainian army had announced the arrival of large numbers of Russian armored vehicles to the northern outskirts of the capital, Kiev, Sky News Arabia reported.