MOSCOW, May 31 (Xinhua) – Russia will create around 20 new units in its Western Military District by the end of the year to counter the threat posed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO), Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Monday.
“The actions of our Western colleagues destroy the world security system, and force us to take adequate countermeasures”, declared Mr. Choïgou during a meeting of the board of directors of the Ministry of Defense.
“We are constantly aiming to improve the composition of our fighting troops,” he stressed.
In addition to creating new units, the armed forces of the western military district will this year receive more modern weapons and equipment, the minister said.
He pointed out that Russia faces a growing military threat due to the upsurge in US strategic air activity in Europe, which has grown 14-fold in the past seven years.
He noted that the United States and its NATO allies also continued to expand their military exercises near Russia’s borders.
“The Defender Europe 2021 exercises are currently underway. With nearly 40,000 military personnel involved, these are the largest exercises in the past 30 years. Their main objective is to repeat the transfer of an entire division from the United States to the United States. Europe, “he said. End
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