Russian defense minister inspects Zapad group of forces in combat zone in Ukraine

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov inspected the Russian military grouping “West” operating in the combat zone in Ukraine, the Defense Ministry said.

According to the ministry, Belousov held a meeting at the command post of the Zapad (West) grouping and received briefings from military commanders on the frontline situation.

“The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Andrey Belousov, held a meeting at the command post of the Zapad grouping of forces, where he heard reports from the command on the current situation in the areas of responsibility,” Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It added that the commander of the grouping, Colonel General Sergey Kuzovlev, briefed Belousov on the actions of Russian troops along the line of contact and on what it described as the nature of the enemy’s operations.

The visit comes amid continued fighting along multiple sectors of the front in eastern Ukraine, where both Russian and Ukrainian forces have reported intensified military activity in recent weeks.