Russia vows to attack Western weapons in Ukraine

Russia will step up attacks on Western weapons supplied to Ukraine, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday, following the US Congress' long-overdue approval of new military aid to Kyiv.

“We will increase the intensity of attacks on logistics centers and warehouses of Western weapons,” Shoigu said at the ministry’s advisory council.

“Russian military personnel [have] debunked the myth of the superiority of Western weapons,” Shoigu said, adding that Russia will continue to produce “the most in-demand weapons and military equipment in proportion to the threats posed by the United States and its allies.” »

His comments came after the US House of Representatives on Saturday unblocked a $61 billion military aid package for Kyiv after six months of political wrangling.

Shoigu called Washington's aid an attempt by the American defense industry to profit from Russia's war in Ukraine and accused Washington of using Ukrainians to "die for their interests."

In the more than two years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Shoigu has said Ukraine has lost "almost half a million" troops.

Russia has not disclosed information about its wartime losses since September 2022. Independent Russian media have been able to identify more than 50,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine, but the real figure is believed to be much higher.