Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday that Russia “purposely” slowed down their offensive in Ukraine to prevent casualties of civilians.

The Minister noted that Russian forces have “consistently” attempted to establish a “peaceful” life and “provided assistance” to the local populations in the “freed” territory.

“We strictly follow the rules of humanitarian law when conducting the special operation, and we carry out strikes on the Ukrainian Armed Forces' military facilities”,said Shoigu.

He also added that Russians have been “doing their best” to prevent civilian population casualties, “which slows down the tempo, but we are doing it on purpose."

Representatives of the Ukraine and Western International Organizations have stated several times that the majority of civilians killed during Russian military operations were “peaceful” citizens, because all those attacks were directed at city infrastructure.

The war has been going on for 182 days, Russia's hostility has not yet subsided.