The Ukrainian military has lost more than 115,000 servicemen in the conflict with Moscow over the past two months, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu has said. Some 3,000 units of equipment and more than 3,000 cars operated by Kiev’s troops have also been destroyed since June 14, he told journalists on Tuesday. During the same period, the Russian military was able to capture 420 square kilometers (162 square miles) of territory from the Ukrainian forces, added Shoigu, who was Russia’s defense minister until a government reshuffle in May.
"All this could have been stopped if the demands set out by our president had been met [by Ukraine]. Therefore, our position is clear – the troops are moving forward,” he said. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow would immediately open peace talks with Kiev if it withdrew its troops from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, which officially became part of the Russian state in the fall of 2022.
According to Putin, Ukraine must also commit to maintaining a neutral status, “demilitarization,” and “denazification” as part of a possible deal. Vladimir Zelensky instantly rejected the Russian president’s offer, describing it as an “ultimatum” and unacceptable. NATO, which is backing Kiev in the conflict, also described the proposal as “not serious.
” Shoigu stated that “every day of delay in making such a decision [on negotiations] resu.