Russia seeks to boost troops in west with armed forces expansion
- Russia promised to shake up its military structure after months of setbacks on the battlefield in Ukraine
- The Kremlin said the changes were made necessary by the ‘proxy war’ being conducted by the West
Russia will create new commands near Europe as it expands its military to 1.5 million people amid deepening tensions with the US and its allies over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
New structures in the regions around Moscow, St Petersburg and Karelia on the border with Finland will be created under the programme, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told commanders Tuesday, saying the major changes will start this year and continue through 2026.
In addition, he said, “self-sufficient” units will be set up on the Ukrainian territories that Russia has illegally annexed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the military expansion came in response to the “proxy war” he claimed the US and its allies are waging against Russia in Ukraine, Interfax reported.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. The Ukrainians have since fought back fiercely with the help of Western arms, handing Russia numerous military setbacks and exposing many shortcomings in the Russian military.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last month approved Shoigu’s plan to boost the size of his military from the current target level of 1.15 million but the Kremlin hasn’t said how fast that will take place.