Putin meets top generals in charge of Russia's war efforts in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday paid a visit to the commander of Russia's operations in Ukraine and other top military brass. The visit comes after Ukraine claimed counteroffensive gains on the southeastern front."Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the headquarters of the special military operation group in Rostov-on-Don," the Kremlin said in a statement.The statement added that the Russian president took stock of the reports presented by Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Army in charge of Moscow's operations in Ukraine, and other top military commanders and officers.The meeting came after Ukraine, whose counteroffensive to recapture land taken by Russia in the first months of the war has been slower than expected, said it liberated a small village along the frontline, its first since July.The Kremlin, however, did not provide any further details of the meeting nor did it mention when it was held. Videos published by the RIA state news agency showed Gerasimov greeting Putin in what appeared to be night-time and leading him into a building after a brief handshake.Meanwhile, Gerasimov, who has rarely made a public appearance, has been on the receiving end of criticism from Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and some Russian military bloggers over Russia's failings in the war.Rostov-on-Don, a city just some 100 kilometres (62 miles)from Ukraine's border, is home to the Russian southern military district command whose army is fighting in Ukraine.With Ukraine's counteroffensive struggling to break through entrenched Russian lines and Moscow's stretched military resources and dissent in the ranks, both sides have measured recent successes by taking control of tiny villages.With inputs from Reuters