First interview with new commander of Russian Army General Surovikin

The first interview with the new commander of the joint force grouping in the SMO zone, Army General Surovikin, has been broadcast on Russia 24:

- Ukrainians and we are one people, and we want Ukraine to be independent from the West and NATO and a friendly state for Russia. Our adversary is a criminal regime that is pushing Ukrainian citizens to their deaths;

- Overall, the situation in the special operation zone can be described as tense;

- The enemy does not abandon attempts to attack the positions of the RF Armed Forces, first of all, these are Kupyansk, Krasny Liman, and the Nikolaevo-Krivorozhsk directions;

- Daily losses of the enemy amount to hundreds of people killed and wounded (600 to 1000 daily);

- We do not aim at a high tempo of attack, we methodically grind down the enemy and move forward, saving the lives of our soldiers and civilians;

- Surovikin on the Kherson region: The Russian Armed Forces will ensure the safe, already announced departure of the population under the resettlement program being prepared by the Russian government;

- The Russian grouping of troops is building up, creating reserves, and erecting defensive positions along the entire line of contact;

- High-precision weaponry strikes are being carried out against military facilities and infrastructure that affect the combat effectiveness of Ukrainian forces;

- There are reports that Kiev may use prohibited methods of war near Kherson and conducting preparations for a missile strike on the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant;

- The Su-57 fighters stand out in terms of the quality of combat use in the course of the Special Military Operation, hitting targets in every sortie;

- Russian drones have carried out more than 8,000 sorties during the special operation, with strike drones destroying more than 600 AFU targets;

- Further actions with regard to Kherson will depend on the emerging military and tactical situation, it is not easy, and difficult decisions cannot be ruled out.