Yesterday, the Russian army announced that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited what his country calls a “special military operation” zone in Ukraine to inspect reconstruction work in Mariupol, located in the Donbass, which was besieged for months before it fell. in May last year. On Saturday, Shoigu inspected a “command post” at the front in eastern Ukraine as the struggle for control of the town of Bakhmut escalated. The statement, which did not indicate the date of this visit, said that as part of a trip to the area of the special military operation, Shoigu inspected the reconstructed infrastructure facilities, as well as new construction shops in Mariupol. He added that Shwekho visited a medical center, an aid center and a new residential area in Mariupol, which includes twelve buildings, pointing out that the minister was presented with a report on the establishment of schools in this coastal city, which had been under siege for several months before. fell in May 2022. The same source also said Shoigu was presented with Another report on the construction of a major water utility that would connect the Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine with the Rostov region of Russia. The visit comes at a time when fierce fighting continues over the town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, which has limited strategic value but has become a symbol as the two camps have been pitted against each other for months. At the end of December, Shoigu made two such visits to the “Russian special operation” zone in Ukraine. Also in military terms, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian fighters and air defense systems of Russian troops shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 and Su-27 aircraft, as well as a Mi-8 helicopter and nine Ukrainian drones. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement: “A Russian Air Force fighter shot down a Su-27 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force in an air battle. Except for the Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter shot down near Novopavlovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Air defense systems in the area of the city of Krasnoarmeysk of the Donetsk People’s Republic shot down a MiG-29 fighter of the Ukrainian Air Force. The statement added that over the past 24 hours, 15 launchers of HIMARS and Uragan missiles were intercepted and nine unmanned aerial vehicles destroyed. , as well as Chuparyevka and Magadova in the Kherson region and Lesnoy in the Sumy region. The defense also continued that the operational, tactical and army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces over the past day destroyed the radar of the Ukrainian S-300 air defense system in the Donetsk People’s Republic, and also hit the Buk-M1 air defense system. system. Politically, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi discussed the implementation of infrastructure projects and relations between the two countries during a telephone conversation yesterday. The Kremlin said that the Russian President and his Iranian counterpart positively assess the level of Russian-Iranian relations and the dynamics of their development. The Kremlin’s statement continued: “Issues of bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed, including the implementation of joint infrastructure projects.” The Kremlin concluded its statement by saying that the Russian and Iranian sides have agreed to maintain further contacts between the two countries. And Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani previously confirmed that relations between his country and Russia extend to all areas and are not limited to the military sphere, noting that there are no allegations of Iranian deliveries of drones to Russia. evidence, and their purpose is to create problems. During a press conference, Kanaani said, “The cooperation between Iran and Russia is not limited to military cooperation only, and the relationship between the two countries extends to all areas, and these are normal relations.” blame Iran for its military and defense relations with Russia.” He added: “What has been raised regarding the drones are only allegations, and (Iranian) Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahyan clarified the number of drones we provided to Moscow and that this was a few months before the start of the war in Ukraine. , and the Russian government has announced that it has not used Iranian drones.” “Neither Ukraine nor the West has provided any documentary evidence for their claims about drones, and from our point of view, this issue is politicized and aimed at creating problems on their part,” Kanani continued. At the Ukrainian level, Andrei Klintsevich, director of the Center for the Study of Military-Political Conflicts, said that the Ukrainian military is receiving iron bridges to cross tanks, to overcome obstacles and cross rivers from one bank to another. and lakes. Klintsevich pointed out that the German and American-made bridges, designed to overcome heavy vehicles, including tanks and armored personnel carriers, over obstacles, and sent to the Ukrainian army to prepare for offensive operations in the coming months. Klintsevich added: “Judging by what is happening on the fronts, preparations are underway for the transfer of new weapons and equipment to combat areas where a Ukrainian counterattack is being prepared. “What is happening on the front line is a radical change of means, forces and line of defense, which is being carried out,” Klintsevich continued in an interview with the Solovyov Live program. According to him, NATO, with the help of Western intelligence, is studying Russian engineering facilities in the area of the defense line in the Zaporozhye region. In addition, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that in the next six months, Ukrainian power engineers, officials, representatives of the security and defense sphere should take concrete steps to be ready for any threats in the upcoming heating season. He added: “We are working on all scenarios and will do our best to be ready for any threats in the coming winter,” reports the National News Agency of Ukraine (Ukrinform). He added: Within six months, our energy industry, government officials, the security and defense sector and everyone involved in the performance of relevant tasks must do very specific things. Zelensky believes that as part of the energy system decentralization project, it is necessary to strengthen the security of energy facilities, restore the infrastructure destroyed by Russian strikes over the past six months, and give Ukrainians more opportunities to produce and supply electricity as part of the energy system decentralization project, stressing that this is a big task, and she already started.