Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has paid a rare front line visit to Russian soldiers in Ukraine, according to the military.
Shoigu took part in a staff meeting in the "special military operation zone," the Defence Ministry said on Telegram on Wednesday.
He received a report on the creation of specialized drone units from the battlegroup East commander, Lieutenant General Andrey Kuzmenko. The meeting also dealt with preparations for the winter.
The Defence Ministry's statement was accompanied by a video showing Shoigu in a helicopter and later in a staff bunker. It was not clear whether the facility was actually on Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia.
In the war against Ukraine, which has now lasted more than 20 months and was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, representatives of the Russian leadership have only very rarely ventured to the front - in contrast to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who regularly visits.
Shoigu was last in the war zone in June.
