MOSCOW

Russia’s chief of general staff on Tuesday visited the front line in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"During the work in the zone of the special military operation, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Army General Valery Gerasimov, inspected the advanced control point of the group of forces in the Zaporizhzhia direction," a ministry statement said.

Gerasimov was also briefed by the commander of the group, Col. Gen. Alexander Romanchuk, on the current situation on the front line and the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces, it said.

According to the ministry, the chief of general staff emphasized the importance of early detection of the moves of Ukrainian troops, as well as preventive strikes and counter-battery warfare.