JAKARTA - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu instructed the country's Armed Forces, based in eastern Ukraine, to prioritize attacks against Ukrainian long-range weapons, according to a statement circulated by news agencies Monday.
Defense Minister Shoigu issued instructions to the Vostok (East) Battalion, as part of his second publicly announced visit to the front since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
"Army General Sergei Shoigu, instructed commanders to prioritize long-range missiles and artillery weapons of the enemy," said a Defense Ministry statement, reported The Moscow Times July 18.
Defense Minister Shoigu instructed units in all operational lines to eliminate the possibility of the Kyiv military, carrying out massive missile and artillery strikes” on Russian-controlled territory.
The statement claimed that Ukraine used long-range weapons to target residential areas in Ukraine's eastern pro-Russian separatist republic, "deliberately" setting fire to wheat fields and grain storage facilities.
Western-supplied weapons systems, in particular the US-made HIMARS, have allowed Ukraine to target Russian military positions well beyond the front lines, which is increasingly attracting Moscow's attention.
Shoigu's remarks echoed Saturday's statement by the ministry, which appeared to be a direct response to Ukraine's claims of a spate of successful attacks on 30 Russian logistics and ammunition centers.
Meanwhile, Advisor to the Interior Ministry of Ukraine Anton Herashchenko accused Russian troops on social media of attacking central Donetsk but blamed Ukraine.
Responding to statements by Ukrainian officials who said HIMARS allowed them to hit targets in annexed Crimea, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned of a "judgment day" in response, a clear hint of Russia's nuclear weapons.
SEE ALSO:
The United States and its allies have supplied Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of weaponry since Russia invaded on February 24, including long-range weapons that Kyiv says are starting to help on the battlefield.
Ukraine says it has carried out a series of successful strikes on 30 Russian logistics and ammunition centers, using several rocket launch systems recently supplied by the West.
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