Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Guards Colonel Abdulaziz Shikhabidov, Commander of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division.
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief heard a report on the combat situation along the line of contact in the Dobropolye tactical sector within the division’s area of responsibility and thanked the division’s personnel for their service in combat.
* * *
Abdulaziz Shikhabidov: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, good evening.
Colonel Shikhabidov, Commander of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division, reporting.
Following the full liberation of the Kursk Region and the establishment of a buffer zone in the Sumy Region, the division, acting on the instructions of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, is carrying out combat missions as part of the Tsentr Group in the Dobropolye tactical sector.
Units of the division took part in completing the capture of Krasnoarmeysk and liberated Grishino, Novoalexandrovka, Vasilyevka, and Shevchenko. The division’s formations and units continue to take part in the liberation of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief,
Combat operations are being conducted virtually without interruption through the active use of new tactics and methods of warfare and the continued improvement of unmanned systems capabilities and assets. To maintain the ability to conduct active combat operations, combat training activities are continuously held at the division’s training ranges for battalions undergoing restoration of their combat readiness.
In the course of combat operations in the Dobropolye tactical sector, enemy losses amounted to more than 6,000 personnel. Fourteen tanks, 140 armoured combat vehicles, 54 artillery pieces and mortars, and 210 motor vehicles were destroyed. Nineteen enemy personnel were taken prisoner, and more than 71 counterattacks were repelled.
There are no issues requiring attention. This concludes my report.
Vladimir Putin: How would you assess the overall morale of the troops? How are the men doing?
Abdulaziz Shikhabidov: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, morale is high and confident. We are ready to carry out all the tasks assigned to us.
Vladimir Putin: Good. And what do you think needs to be provided? Is there perhaps anything you are lacking?
Abdulaziz Shikhabidov: At present, as part of the group, if I may put it that way, we are keeping pace with the times and improving all our tactics and methods of operation, including practical operations on the front line and the use of modern technologies. We are not standing still; we are constantly improving.
Vladimir Putin: Are the tasks being assigned achievable within the specified timeframes?
Abdulaziz Shikhabidov: Yes, absolutely. All the deadlines being set are realistic.
Vladimir Putin: Good.
It was very important for me to hear that from you, as the commander of the 76th Division. It is a legendary division. I wish you every success.
Moreover, your division is operating at a good pace in the Dobropolye sector, at a faster pace than the other units operating alongside you. So I would like to thank you, your subordinates, and all the soldiers and commanders. Please convey my very best wishes and words of gratitude to them.
Abdulaziz Shikhabidov: Understood. I have received the task.