One of Russia’s top war generals has visited occupied territory in eastern Ukraine for the first time this year.
Defense minister Sergei Shoigu, who has been coordinating the war effort since the invasion last February, was filmed visiting the eastern districts of Ukraine.
In a statement published on Telegram, the country’s defense ministry said Shoigu “inspected the forward command post of one of the formations of the eastern military district in the South Donetsk direction”.
In a video published by the ministry, Shoigu is seen awarding medals to Russian military personnel and touring a ruined town with the district’s commander, Col Gen Rustam Muradov.
Russia’s top military chiefs have visited the frontline in Ukraine only sparingly since Russia invaded the country a year ago.