Russia Takes Stock of the Ukrainian Conflict's First Six Months

August 24 marks six months since the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. In this context, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu took stock of events to date.

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"The special military operation is proceeding as planned and all objectives will be met," he said during a meeting in Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) with the defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

He stressed that the Ukrainian conflict provided the United States and its allies with an additional pretext to unleash an economic and media war against Russia.

"The goal of the U.S. and its accomplices is to strategically exhaust Russia in order to eliminate competition and send a warning message to other states seeking to maintain an independent foreign policy," Shoigu said, recalling that Russia was making previously considerable efforts to stabilize Europe under contemporary geopolitical conditions.

"The West, with Washington in the lead, however, refused to take into account our concerns about mutual security guarantees, among which Ukraine's neutrality status figured first," the Russian minister said, explaining that the Western countries also ignored "questions of principle" such as the rejection of military activities near Russian borders.

"Ukraine was chosen as an instrument of hybrid warfare against Russia... The United States and its allies continue to introduce weapons into Ukraine, multiplying the number of victims and prolonging the conflict," Shoigu stressed.

On August 24, as Ukrainians celebrate their independence from the Soviet Union, President Joe Biden announced the delivery of US$3 billion in military aid to the Vodolymyr Zelensky regime. These resources will allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery, ammunition, drones, and radars.