MOSCOW. Sept 13 (Interfax) - Russian forces are continuing active defensive operations in the zone of the Ukrainian offensive, and are acting confidently and reliably, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"The troops are engaged in maintaining active defensive operations in the pivotal and required sectors. In some places, it's more complicated, in others it's easier, but I can say that the guys are acting confidently, commanders are acting confidently, reliably," he said in an interview with the Rossiya 1 television channel.
"We continue to strike military hardware [and] troops, all those who have been carrying out the counteroffensive for several months," he said.
"We have already gone through, you will remember, the spring [and] summer [military] campaigns. Now the fall campaign has come," Shoigu added.