Slowdown of Moscow Op in Ukraine's Pace a Conscious Decision to Minimize Civilian Casualties On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived on a working visit to Uzbekistan, where a meeting of the defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states takes place. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that slowing down the pace of the offensive during a special military operation in Ukraine is a conscious decision, it is due to the desire to minimize civilian casualties. "Throughout the special operation, we have strictly observed the norms of humanitarian law. Strikes are carried out with high-precision weapons on objects of the military infrastructure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces - control points, airfields, warehouses, fortified areas, objects of the military-industrial complex. At the same time, everything is being done to avoid civilian casualties. Of course, this slows down the ...