1 year ago
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MOSCOW (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin has sought proposals from his equipped forces commanders connected however they deliberation Russia's subject run successful Ukraine should proceed, during a sojourn to the operation's headquarters, the Kremlin said connected Saturday.
A bid of defeats successful 10 months of fighting, resulting successful Russian withdrawals from areas astir the superior Kyiv and Ukraine's 2nd metropolis Kharkiv and astir precocious from the metropolis of Kherson, person forced Putin to telephone up reservists and generated uncommon nationalist disapproval from subject bloggers and immoderate allies.
Since the assignment successful October of Air Force General Sergei Surovikin to pb the campaign, Russian crushed forces person focused much connected defence than attack, portion waves of aerial strikes connected cities person near millions of Ukrainian civilians without heat, airy oregon h2o for days connected extremity arsenic wintertime sets in.
In video footage released by the Kremlin connected Saturday, Putin presided astatine a gathering of astir a twelve radical astatine a circular table, flanked by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov - some of whom person been heavy criticised by hawkish commentators.
Putin was past shown astatine the caput of different league array astatine the associated task unit headquarters, inviting suggestions from a enactment of subject commanders.
"We volition perceive to the commanders successful each operational direction, and I would similar to perceive your proposals connected our contiguous and medium-term actions," Putin said.
Surovikin was besides shown attending the meetings successful inactive photographs connected the Kremlin website.
Putin spent the full of Friday astatine the task unit headquarters, his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Interfax quality agency.
No different details of Putin's sojourn oregon the determination of the office were reported.
(Reporting by Vladimir SoldatkinEditing by John Stonestreet, Kevin Liffey and Frances Kerry)
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