The head of the Kremlin and the Minister of Defense announced plans to expand the Russian army and said how they would go to war against Ukraine.
On December 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed an expanded college of the Russian Defense Ministry. The main topic is the “special military operation”, that is, the war in Ukraine, and plans for the development of the Russian army, which they want to attract hundreds of thousands of people.
Correspondent.net will speak about the main statements of the head of the Kremlin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Increasing the number of troops
Sergei Shoigu said at the meeting that the country needs a force of one and a half million people “to guarantee the fulfillment of tasks to ensure the security of Russia.” However, he did not say when the Russian army would reach this size.
So the Russian Defense Ministry plans to increase the Russian army by 350 thousand people, because today it is about 1.15 million people in the state.
It also plans to form three new military groups in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
EPA
“To form three motorized rifle divisions, including as part of the combined arm formations in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as the army corps in Karelia,” Shoigu announced plans for 2023.
Emphasis on volunteers
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has stated that it relies only on volunteers in Ukraine and does not include conscripts in hostilities. Note that even before the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian armed forces had about 400,000 contract soldiers, including about 150,000 in the ground forces.
Shoigu said the expanded Russian army will include 695,000 contract volunteers, 521,000 of whom should be in service by the end of 2023.
And Putin has promised that those mobilized will receive a monthly salary of at least 195,000 rubles (about $2,800), about five times the average salary in Russia. Some regional authorities have also promised to top it up with their own bonuses.
Raising the draft age
Shoigu proposed to gradually increase the draft age – to take for military service in the army from 21 to 30 years old, and not from 18 to 27, as now. This was said by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, referring to Putin.
In addition, he proposed allowing conscripts to conclude a contract from the first day of service.
After Shoigu’s speech, Putin said he agreed with his initiatives, suggesting they be discussed behind closed doors.
Changes in the military structure
Shoigu also outlined plans for the formation of new military units and groups of troops in western Russia, including an army corps to be deployed in the northwestern region of Karelia near Finland.
Note that the plans mark a return to the Soviet-era military structure that Russia abandoned during recent military reforms that included the creation of smaller and more mobile units.
EPA
The Russian defense minister said the existing infantry, airborne and marine brigades will be converted into divisions, larger units that Russia has had in the past. He said some new divisions will also be formed.
As part of the planned reform, some units of the Air Force will be placed under the command of groups of ground forces, apparently to improve coordination between them.
About the new weapons of the Russian Federation
In a speech to senior military officials, Putin emphasized the need to use lessons learned “in the course of the conflict to modernize the armed forces.”
He noted the importance of strengthening communications and improving artillery tactics. The Kremlin leader also ordered more active use of unmanned vehicles on the battlefield.
“The target must be identified as quickly as possible, and the information must be sent to the strike in real time,” he said.
He promised that the military industry would increase arms production, saying they could do so without “depleting the country’s resources or hurting the economy.”
The Kremlin leader also said that next month, a sea carrier of hypersonic missiles will perform combat duty.
“In early January next year, the frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov will enter combat service with the latest hypersonic missile systems based on the sea Zirkon, which have no analogues in the world, ” he says.
Putin also promised to pay special attention to the modernization of Russia’s nuclear forces. He said that in the near future a new intercontinental ballistic missile Sarmat will enter service.
About the war in Ukraine
Russia intends to extend the conflict in Ukraine next year.
“Continue the ‘special military operation’ until the tasks are completed,” Shoigu said, speaking about plans for 2023.
At the same time, he believes that the West is trying to postpone the fighting in Ukraine as long as possible in order to “weaken the Russian Federation.”
Putin ordered to study the use of Western weapons in Ukraine: “All information about NATO forces, means that are actively used during the” special military operation “to deter is known to us .You have all this and all this should be carefully studied , which is used in the development of our Armed Forces to increase the combat capabilities of the troops, as well as the special services within the country.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.