Belousov says Russia must win in Ukraine while minimising casualties
World
Belousov says Russia must win in Ukraine while minimising casualties
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's main task is to achieve victory on the battlefield in Ukraine with the minimal loss of troops, incoming defence minister Andrei Belousov said on Tuesday.
Belousov, an economist whom President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly nominated on Sunday to replace Sergei Shoigu, said the military sector needed more efficiency and innovation in order to achieve its goals.
"The key task, of course, remains achieving victory. Ensuring the achievement of the military-political goals of the special military operation, set by the president. At the same time - I want to specifically emphasise this - with minimal human losses," he told a parliamentary hearing.
His comments were striking because Russian officials rarely discuss casualties in the war except to praise the heroism of fallen soldiers.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine publishes details of their dead and wounded. But Western military analysts say Russia, with a population more than three times larger than Ukraine's, has shown itself much more willing to incur heavy casualties for the sake of even incremental gains. Russian officials say such analysis, as it comes from the West, is neither objective nor accurate.
Belousov presented himself as a man of integrity, telling parliamentarians: "I have always been, and will be, guided by the reinforced concrete principle 'You can make mistakes (but) you can't lie'."
Belousov, who has no military experience, has been tasked by Putin with maximising efficiencies in Russia's war economy as its troops, having regained the initiative, attempt to push deeper into Ukraine.
