Figures and results: Ministry of Defense on the progress of the Special Operation in 2023
Final thematic conference call at the Ministry of Defense, December 26, 2023
The Russian armed forces and other security forces continue to carry out a special military operation to protect Donbass, as well as the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. In connection with the end of the year, our Ministry of Defense sums up the interim results of the Special Operation, names the successes achieved and provides important statistics. In general, we are talking about successfully completing assigned tasks and inflicting critical damage on the enemy.
According to official data
The Russian Ministry of Defense takes a responsible approach to the issue of informing the public and covering the Special Operation. The ministry's Department of Information and Mass Communications publishes daily reports containing basic information from the front. In addition, this year the practice of regular communications from the heads of press services of individual areas appeared and became established. The media operating in the combat zone also play a role in the coverage of the operation.
Briefings and meetings are also held with the participation of the department's leadership on the most important issues in the context of the Special Operation. Thus, on December 21 in Moscow, the Chief of the General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov, gave a report on the results of the ministry’s activities. He revealed general issues of current military development and training, and also touched upon the topic of combat work of troops, incl. as part of the defense of Donbass.
On December 26, a final conference call was held with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, during which Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke. He supplemented the previously disclosed information about the training and combat work of troops, the activities of the defense industry, etc. The current Special Operation in Ukraine received special attention.
The main events
The Minister of Defense indicated that the main goal of the Special Operation this year was to disrupt the enemy’s widely announced counter-offensive. Our armed forces coped with this task. They created a developed and effective fortification system, prepared to repel the attack and resolutely accepted the battle. As a result, Ukrainian formations suffered heavy losses, and their combat effectiveness was sharply reduced.
Effective combat work of units and formations became possible thanks to the activities of the military-industrial complex. He increased the production of necessary products, both already mastered and completely new models. The production of the most popular products has grown significantly over the past period of time and is sufficiently meeting the needs of the army.
The leadership of the Ministry of Defense directly speaks about the readiness and possibility of continuing military operations to achieve all other goals of the Special Operation. At the same time, for obvious reasons, exact action plans, expected deadlines for completing certain activities, etc. are not disclosed.
Foreign participation
Foreign states continue to support the Kiev regime in various ways. The most important in this context are the supplies of foreign weapons and foreign-made equipment. In fact, it is through them that the combat effectiveness of Ukrainian formations is now ensured.
According to our Ministry of Defense, since February 2022, more than 5,2 thousand armored combat vehicles have been delivered to Ukraine, incl. tanks different models. Over 1,3 thousand field artillery guns and 200 multiple launch rocket systems were transferred. The air defense of the Kyiv regime was reinforced with 1200 complexes and installations of various types. More than 100 airplanes and helicopters, as well as 23 thousand unmanned aerial vehicles, were transferred.
Since last year, a variety of ammunition and weapons have been sent to Ukraine. In 2023, foreign partners satisfied Kyiv’s wishes and gave it long-range missile weapons. The UK and France shipped 200 Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles, and operational-tactical ATACMS arrived from the US. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet announced the number of the latter.
The process of training Ukrainian militants abroad has been organized. To date, about 100 thousand Ukrainians have undergone training at foreign bases with the participation of instructors from third countries.
Battles and their results
The enemy’s main goal in the past year was to carry out the so-called. counteroffensive. At a recent briefing, V. Gerasimov revealed the known details of such a plan, and also named its results. In general, we are talking about a complete failure of the Ukrainian side and large losses of various kinds.
During the “counter-offensive,” the Kiev regime planned to restore access to the Sea of Azov and deprive Russia of a land corridor to Crimea. According to the plan of the Ukrainian command, during the first 15 days. the advancing group was supposed to reach the city of Melitopol and block it. Then the enemy's targets became Mariupol, the coast of the Azov Sea and the northern part of Crimea.
A large group created by the beginning of June in the Zaporozhye direction was supposed to solve such problems. It initially included 50 battalions, 230 tanks and approx. 1 thousand armored vehicles; About half of the equipment involved is modern foreign models. Subsequently, the group was increased by 30 battalions with a corresponding increase in the number of manpower and equipment.
The offensive launched in June did not cope with the assigned tasks - the enemy was not able to overcome even the tactical defense zone of the Russian army. The lack of success forced the Kiev regime to throw into battle strategic reserves prepared to develop the offensive. This did not lead to a change in the situation, but increased the overall losses of Ukrainian forces. In fact, within six months the “counter-offensive” ran out of steam and failed.
During this time, in all directions, Ukraine lost approx. 160 thousand people, more than 3 thousand armored vehicles, including 766 tanks, as well as 121 aircraft and 23 helicopters. The previously prepared offensive group has lost its potential and cannot solve the assigned task.
Huge contribution
All types of armed forces and types of troops participate in solving combat and other tasks during the Special Operation. Depending on their specialization, different formations and units participate directly in combat operations at the front line, work from the rear, strike remote targets, or support the activities of other structures.
The main burden, for obvious reasons, falls on the ground forces. It was they who ensured the construction of defensive positions in the Zaporozhye direction at the beginning of the year, and then occupied them and stopped the enemy’s advance. In addition, the army is successfully advancing in other directions and is showing new successes. The last event of this kind was the liberation of the settlement. Marinka.
During a recent briefing, the Chief of the General Staff noted the work of operational-tactical and front-line aviation. They work around the clock and, in any weather conditions, search for and destroy ground targets - places of deployment of enemy personnel, headquarters, command posts, warehouses, etc. Since the beginning of the Special Operation, combat aircraft and helicopters have carried out several thousand combat sorties. Unmanned aircraft systems have become particularly important. With their help, XNUMX-hour surveillance of the enemy, reconnaissance and target designation are carried out. UAVs also undertake the destruction of various objects.
The work of air defense is of great importance. Air defense units destroyed more than 6,3 thousand air targets this year. The bulk of them, 4,6 thousand, were UAVs of various types. The enemy's missile weapons are successfully intercepted. Approximately destroyed in the air. 100 Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles, approx. 90 AGM-88 HARM products, 30 operational-tactical “Tochek-U” and over 1,4 thousand multiple launch rocket systems.
Background processes
The most important feature of the current Special Operation is the limited use of troops and resources. The demilitarization of Ukraine does not interfere with the general processes of military development and improvement of our armed forces as a whole. In the past year, notable successes have also been achieved in this direction. At the same time, the process of development of the armed forces does not stop, and difficult but important tasks are again set for next year.
In accordance with previously adopted plans, the size of the armed forces was increased in 2023. Now there are 1,32 million people in the service. This year, taking into account the changed situation and various factors, the military and political leadership decided to further increase the number of military personnel in the foreseeable future. Thus, the growth of the army will continue.
The organizational structure of the armed forces is changing and improving, due to which they adapt to the changing situation in the world and improve. Thus, this year, two new combined arms armies appeared in the ground forces, as well as 14 formations of support troops. The aerospace force has expanded with three new formations.
For obvious reasons, strategic nuclear forces continue to receive the necessary attention. They included another submarine missile carrier, Project 955A “Borey-A” - “Emperor Alexander III”, and the construction of the next ships in the series is nearing completion. The transition of ground formations of the Strategic Missile Forces to modern Yars and Avangard complexes is not stopping. The air component of the strategic nuclear forces is being strengthened through the modernization of existing aircraft and the introduction of modern long-range cruise missiles.
The defense industrial complex is demonstrating its ability to develop and increase production rates. It produces and modernizes various products and samples required by the group of troops in the Donbass and new regions, as well as supplied to other units and formations. To meet the increased needs of the army, industry increased the production of the most popular products several times or tens of times.
At recent events, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense announced some of the results of industry activities. Thus, this year the army received more than 1,5 tanks and 3 thousand armored vehicles of other classes, new and modernized. The Aerospace Forces received 230 aircraft and helicopters, as well as more than 20 thousand UAVs. The VKS anti-aircraft units received 80 modern weapons and equipment. The Navy has added a dozen new submarines and surface ships to its combat force.
Also, our armed forces continue the processes of training and education. Exercises of various sizes are regularly held, in which various formations of all types of troops and types of forces participate. At the same time, for obvious reasons, special attention is paid to the preparation of units that will soon be sent to the Special Operation zone.
Despite all the attempts of the collective West to isolate Russia, military cooperation with foreign countries continues. This year, our army took part in 17 international exercises, episodes of which took place on land, in the air and at sea. The implementation of a number of international security projects continues. A special place in the field of international cooperation is occupied by the military-technical forum “Army”, which this year once again brought together military personnel and specialists from dozens of friendly or neutral states.
Preliminary results
Thus, the Russian armed forces continue to develop and improve, improving all key indicators. In parallel with them, the defense-industrial complex is increasing its capabilities and breaking production records. All these processes make it possible to increase the overall defense capability of the country in accordance with the changing international military-political situation, new threats, etc.
Against the background of general growth and modernization, our army is conducting a special military operation to protect new regions and demilitarize the Kyiv regime. Despite all the difficulties, she copes with the assigned tasks and inflicts great damage on the enemy, gradually reducing his combat effectiveness and potential. In addition, foreign allies of the Kyiv regime receive indirect damage. They send various materiel, which are predictably destroyed in the combat zone or beyond.
The announced results for the outgoing year 2023 look positive and show that our armed forces are coping with the assigned tasks. The demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine has become a continuous, effective and rhythmic process. With all this, the pace of the Special Operation remains moderate and consistent with the goals at hand. Overall, 2023 should be considered successful, and positive trends will continue next year.
Information