Staff Report
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the military campaign in Ukraine might have become a lengthy process but Moscow has been successful in territorial gains.
Kremlin started its offense against Ukraine in February and it had expected a quick victory but defiant Ukrainian soldiers proved it difficult for it. During the months-long campaign, it only captured one regional capital Kherson, but the Ukrainian forces took it back also.
New territory result of military campaign: Putin
Addressing a meeting of the human rights council, the Russian president said that the new territory in the Azov Sea, annexed by his country was a significant result of the military campaign.
He said that out of 300,000 mobilized fighters who had been called up for military services in September, 150,000 have been deployed in the area operations in Ukraine. Around 77,000 were fighting in combating units.
However, he vowed there would not be more mobilization. –APP/AFP
