Media: Shoigu's "visit" to Russian forward positions was 80 kilometers from front line

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's claimed "visit" to "forward Russian positions" in Ukraine turned out to be more than 80 kilometers away from the front line in Russian-occupied Crimea, RFE/RL reported.

Shoigu claimed to have inspected "forward Russian positions" in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine on Dec. 18.

Attaching a short video of Shoigu in a military helicopter, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that he had spoken with troops about the current battlefield assessment “on the front line” and at a “command post.”

Citing open-source intelligence, RFE/RL said that the trenches in the video of Shoigu's alleged visit were geolocated to the village of Armiansk in Russian-occupied Crimea.