Russian military correspondent Aleksandr Sladkov has weighed in on the report from the Ministry of Defense about the inspection of the East task force carried out by Defense Minister Andrey Belousov. According to the journalist, the minister’s trip may point to the approach of significant decisions tied to the ongoing special military operation.

The ministry stated that Belousov reviewed frontline reports detailing the situation at the forward positions and the actions of both Russian and Ukrainian forces. Colonel General Andrey Ivanaev, who commands the grouping, informed the minister that Russian troops had secured more than 1,400 square kilometers of territory over the course of 2025.

Belousov was also briefed on the effectiveness of Russia’s expanding fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles. The army, according to the ministry, is increasing the number of drones in service and stepping up efforts to counter enemy reconnaissance. New automated electronic-warfare control systems are being introduced directly on the frontline.

Sladkov suggested that such inspections usually precede key military decisions in the SVO zone or serve to prepare the minister’s own assessments for higher-level consideration. He implied that this could include decisions on strategic planning, potentially even on the use of more powerful weapons against Ukraine.

In his view, Belousov is determined to raise the technological sophistication of the Russian military’s operations. Sladkov also argued that the difficulties faced by Russian forces at the front stem not from stagnation but from the pressures of ongoing development and adaptation.