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In a series of announcements on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared there would be substantial investment in many areas of the military — including increasing the size of the armed forces, accelerating weapons programs and deploying a new generation of hypersonic missiles.
At an expanded meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry’s board, Putin and Shoigu laid out a series of initiatives designed to prepare Russia for what Putin called “inevitable clashes” with Russia’s adversaries.
Military expansion: Shoigu said that the country’s military must be expanded from its current 1 million personnel to 1.5 million, including a target of 695,000 volunteer contract soldiers. Russia has recently deployed an additional 150,000 soldiers to what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine — half the total number of men mobilized in the fall.
Shoigu said two additional airborne assault divisions would be created.
Both men made it clear that Russia’s principal adversary is what they regard as an expansionist NATO that wants to weaken and even split Russia.
“Given NATO’s desire to build up military potential near the Russian borders, as well as to expand the alliance through Finland and Sweden, retaliatory measures are required to create an appropriate grouping of troops in northwestern Russia,” Shoigu said.
Shoigu announced the creation of a new Leningrad Military District in northwest Russia to create two “strategic territorial associations of the Armed Forces — the Moscow and Leningrad military districts.”
Nuclear updates: There were also updates on the improvement and modernization of Russia’s nuclear deterrents.
Shoigu announced the start of work on the deployment of Russia’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile, the RS-28 Sarmat.
“Successful…
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