“Slowing down the offensive during the special military operation in Ukraine is a conscious decision related to preventing civilian casualties,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

He noted at a meeting of defense ministers of the SCO member states that “during the special operation (in Ukraine), we strictly adhere to the norms of humanitarian law. High-precision weapons hit the military infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – command posts, airfields, warehouses, fortified areas, army facilities.

Shoigu pointed out that “the Russian army has organized systematic work in the liberated territories to establish a peaceful life,” noting that “we are providing humanitarian assistance, restoring infrastructure and life support systems.”

He noted that “Ukrainian military units are using scorched earth tactics, grossly violating international standards and acting like terrorists. They use apartment buildings, schools, hospitals and kindergartens as firing positions, put tanks and artillery in them, and hide behind the population like human shields. Civilians and Infrastructure”.

Shoigu said that “America’s supply of weapons to Kyiv doubles the number of casualties and prolongs the military conflict”, given that “Washington is trying to divide the regional security structure in Southeast Asia and form a front to contain China”, stressing that “the US Department of Defense (Pentagon ) has funded more than 30 Ukrainian biological laboratories that are developing components for biological weapons.”