OUR Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu promised to increase the supply of ammunition to the Russian military in Ukraine during a visit to the headquarters of troops fighting in the country, according to a video released by the Defense Ministry on Saturday.

A video posted by the ministry on Telegram shows Shoigu presiding over a meeting with senior military officials, including General Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s top military commander.

In the video, Shoigu informs the Russian military that Moscow will take measures to increase the supply of troops at the front with ammunition, noting: “The volume of supplies of the most necessary ammunition has been determined. Necessary measures are being taken to increase them.”

Shoigu has come under fire in recent months from supporters of Russia’s uncompromising invasion of Ukraine, including Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, who have accused him of not supplying troops fighting on the front lines with enough ammunition.

British Foreign Office: Russian winter attack failed

Russia’s attempts to tighten its military control over the Donbass in eastern Ukraine have failed, British military experts said today in their latest intelligence assessment released today.

Russian Army Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, who led the country’s “special military operation” in Ukraine on January 11, sought to “launch a general winter offensive aimed at expanding Russian control over the entire Donbas region,” he said. UK Ministry of Defense on Twitter.

“Eighty days later, it is becoming increasingly clear that this plan has failed,” the text reads.

At several points along the front, “Russian forces have made only marginal gains at the cost of tens of thousands of casualties,” the ministry said in a statement. This has resulted in a “significant loss” of the military strength advantage gained from last year’s partial draft.

“There is a real possibility that Gerasimov is pushing the limits of how far Russia’s political leadership can withstand failure,” the ministry said.

The UK Department of Defense has been providing its agencies with daily intelligence since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.

Ukraine for the Russian presidency in the UN SA

A senior Ukrainian official on Saturday criticized Russia’s “token blow” as it took over the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.

“This is not just a disgrace. This is another symbolic blow to the rules-based system of international relations,” Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential administration of Ukraine, wrote on Twitter in English.

On Saturday, Russia assumed the chairmanship of the UN’s top security body, which changes every month. The last time Moscow held ground was in February 2022, when its forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On Friday, the Kremlin said it plans to “use all its rights” to the role.

The United States on Thursday urged Russia to “behave professionally” when it takes on the role, saying there is no way to exclude Moscow from the post.

A Ukrainian official also fired back at Iran, which Kyiv and its allies accuse of supplying Russia with weapons, including hundreds of combat drones that threaten Ukrainian infrastructure. Tehran denies the supply of weapons to Russia.

“It is significant that on the holiday of one terrorist state – Iran – another terrorist state – Russia – begins to preside over the UN Security Council,” Yermak wrote, referring to the holiday of the Day of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Source: Reuters, dpa, APE-MPE.