Lavrov admits that no victorious achievements expected of Russian army by 9 May

Svitlana Kizilova - Sunday, 1 May 2022, 23:20 The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, has stated that the Russian military will not "artificially adjust" military actions in Ukraine to a certain date, including Victory Day on 9 May. At the same time, Moscow is demanding that Ukraine end the resistance voluntarily. Source: Sergei Lavrov in an interview with the Italian TV company "Mediaset," cited by RIA Novosti and TASS Details: The Russian minister announced that Russia "will celebrate 9 May in grand style." He added that the pace of the Russian offensive in Ukraine "does not depend on dates." He also tried to explain the failure of Putin's "special operation" by suggesting that the Russian army had allegedly "minimised risks" to Ukrainian citizens and Russian military personnel. Sergei Lavrov recalled that "there was a tradition in the Soviet Union to do something big and loud prior to a holiday," and he made it clear that the Russian army would not accomplish anything like that by 9 May 2022. The minister referred to the residents of Mariupol (the city blockaded by Russia) who sought shelter in the bunkers of the Azovstal plant from the Russian army's shelling and bombing, as probably "Western officers and mercenaries." Lavrov also spoke about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to the Russian foreign minister, the Russian side is not demanding that Zelenskyy surrender, but that the President of Ukraine order the army and Ukrainian people "to stop the resistance." Background: The Russian aggressors have been forced to plan for less military equipment to take part in a Moscow parade due to their losses on the battlefield. At the same time, the aggressors have transferred reinforcements to the Kharkiv region and are trying to increase pressure in Donbas. Russia's losses in the war with Ukraine have already already reached 23,000 personnel, about 200 aircraft and over 1,000 tanks.