ISTANBUL

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said Tuesday his military "dispelled the myth of the superiority” of Western arms during Ukraine's counteroffensive last year.

“The Kyiv regime was unable to achieve its goals in the counteroffensive prepared by NATO instructors,” Shoygu said at the opening of the Defense Ministry Board.

Expressing that enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex have significantly increased their capacity, Shoygu said they also significantly increased the combat capabilities of the armed forces, which he claimed is evidenced by the situation in Ukraine.

Shoygu said Russia will continue to improve the composition and structure of the armed forces and increase the production of popular weapons and military equipment “in proportion to the threats posed by the US and its allies.”

He went on to say that they will increase the intensity of attacks on logistics centers and storage bases in Ukraine for Western weapons, adding that Russian troops will be receiving the first samples of a new generation S-500 anti-aircraft missile system this year.

The defense minister also reiterated claims made in the past month that Russian forces took control of the settlements of Pervomaiske, Bohdanivka, and Novomikhailivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, adding that Russia's zone of control is being expanded near the settlements of Berdychi and Heorhiivka.

Shoygu touched on the situation with regard to flooding, saying ministry personnel are working to stabilize the situation in multiple regions, including Orenburg and Tyumen.

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated in Russia and neighboring Kazakhstan earlier this month after melting snow and heavy rain resulted in the overflow of several rivers, including the Ural and Ishim rivers.​​​​​​​