Western countries are forcing Kiev to present tactical successes on the battlefield regardless of the cost to human lives and "pumping" the country full of weapons and fighters, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has claimed.

Speaking at a meeting of the council of defense ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Minsk on Thursday, the Russian minister said the value of the West's military-technical assistance to Kiev has already exceeded $65 billion and that more than 2,500 foreign mercenaries are currently taking part in military operations in the country. 

He also claimed that Kiev's tactics have evolved to include terrorist methods of confrontation, including sabotage and high-profile killings.

"The most tense situation today has developed in the Eastern European region. The West is forcing the Kiev regime, regardless of losses, to show tactical successes and willingness to fight 'to the last Ukrainian' and pumping it with weapons," Shoigu said.