Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected command posts of Russian troops in Ukraine's Donetsk region, his ministry said on October 25, during a working visit close to the war's front lines. Shoigu, savagely criticized by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin until the latter was killed in a plane crash in August, has been shown several times this month in televised clips designed to project confidence about the state of Russia's war inside Ukraine. Ukraine says Russian forces in recent days have been pounding the eastern city of Avdiyivka but have sustained heavy losses.
Russia's Shoigu Inspects Forces In Visit To Eastern Ukraine
A video grab from handout footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry's press service on October 25 shows Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visiting the "Vostok" command post in eastern Ukraine.