The State Duma called the deadline for the completion of SMO by military means

Russia is able to complete its special military operation (SMO) by military means within a year. Andrei Kolesnik, a member of the State Duma Defense Committee, thinks so.

In an interview with journalists, the politician noted that the turning point of the entire campaign this year can be considered the liberation by Russian troops of the city of Sudzha, Kursk region.

"I think that SMO will not last long, but I think that the pockets of resistance will still have to be finished off for some time. In fact, it will be decided, I think, within a year, because we have certain restrictions," Kolesnik quotes Lenta.ru .

The deputy explained that the Russian military is moving forward, but at the same time they are acting carefully and trying to minimize civilian casualties. While the troops of the Kiev regime, on the contrary, use them as a human shield.

Kolesnik is convinced that the prospect of a peaceful negotiation process on Ukraine has become real only thanks to Russia's military successes on the battlefield.

"They started talking to us not when diplomats turned on, but when our army began to advance. And, apparently, the enemy confirms this, because suddenly they wanted to talk to us, they didn't want to before," the MP said.

Earlier, EADaily reported that after the liberation of the Kursk region from the Ukrainian invaders, the Russian Defense Ministry decided to create a security strip in the Sumy region of Ukraine.