Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council to discuss the situation in the special military operation zone.   Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported that “having suffered considerable losses over 16 days of active fighting, the enemy decreased its activity, and is currently regrouping.” He said that Ukrainian army manpower losses since the beginning of the counteroffensive have exceeded 13,000.   Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev said that 13 tanks and 59 infantry fighting vehicles and other equipment supplied by the West have been knocked out since Kiev launched its counteroffensive.   “I understand that this is preliminary information, because you cannot have a complete picture of battlefield, but things are clear on the whole. It warrants the conclusion that though more equipment can be supplied, the mobilized reserve is not endless,” Putin said.   The Russian president supposes that “Ukraine’s western allies have really decided to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian.”   Putin summarized the presented reports by saying that the Ukrainian army has not exhausted its reserves.   “We have to assume that the enemy offensive potential is not exhausted, that a number of strategic reserves have not been employed yet, and I ask to keep it mind in combat planning, the president said. ”One must proceed from the realities.”   ***   The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014.  The peace talks failed to reach tangible results due to Kiev’s position to settle the conflict by force.   Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation on February 24, 2022 to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Prior to that, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance.   The Lugansk People’s Republic acceded to Russia on September 30, 2022 following the unification referendum. *i*ie