Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia deliberately slowed down the advance in Ukraine in order to reduce the number of civilian casualties. He announced this at a meeting of defense ministers of the countries participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
“During the special operation, we strictly observe the norms of humanitarian law. The strikes are carried out with high-precision weapons at the military infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – command posts, airfields, warehouses, fortified areas, military-industrial complex facilities. At the same time, everything is done to avoid casualties among civilians. Of course, this slows down the pace of the offensive, but we are doing it consciously," Shoigu said.
According to the UN, over 13,000 civilians have been killed or injured due to the war in Ukraine. Among the dead were 356 children. And that's just the confirmed number. The actual number of civilian casualties is likely much higher. 11.1 million people have left the country. Some cities are almost wiped off the face of the earth – in particular, Izyum in the Kharkiv region, which has been under the control of the Russian military since the beginning of March.