His speech was expected. At the height of the war with Ukraine, Vladimir Putin set tasks for the Russian army for 2023. And once again he made a reckless decision: the President of Russia said on Wednesday that his country continues to develop its military potential. , including the “combat readiness” of its nuclear forces.
“The armed forces and the combat capabilities of our armed forces are constantly growing every day. And, of course, we will develop this process,” he said during a meeting with senior army officers. We will continue to maintain and increase the combat readiness of our nuclear triad. »
New hypersonic missiles
In a militaristic speech, Vladimir Putin announced the entry into service “at the beginning of January” of new Russian hypersonic cruise missiles “Zirkon”, which belong to a new family of weapons developed in Moscow in recent years.
One of the “priorities” will also be “continuing leadership of the special operation (in Ukraine) until all its tasks are completed,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. According to him, Moscow will place naval bases for “support ships, emergency rescue services and marine repair units” in the two occupied Ukrainian cities of Berdyansk and Mariupol.
“The Russian military is resisting the combined forces of the West,” Sergei Shoigu also assures. “Of particular concern is the growing presence of the West on our borders and the borders of Belarus, as well as the desire of the West to prolong military operations in Ukraine as much as possible in order to weaken our country. »
The army will grow
With war on the horizon, Sergei Shoigu wants to increase the size of the Russian army to 1.5 million people, raise the age limit for military service and create two new military administrative units in northwestern Russia.
“I agree with your proposals regarding future structural changes in the armed forces,” Vladimir Putin replied, assuring that these changes would be carried out “without prejudice” to Russian society and the economy.
Vladimir Putin also briefly paid tribute to the memory of Russian soldiers who fell during the offensive. “Of course, hostilities are always associated with tragedy and human casualties. But, inevitably, today is better than tomorrow. According to him, the conflict in Ukraine is a “common tragedy”, but Russia is not to blame.
Despite Western sanctions, Moscow has no problem financing its military campaign, the Russian president says. “We have no funding restrictions. The country and the government give everything that the army asks for. Everything! “said the Russian leader, who announced a military mobilization in September following Moscow’s military setbacks.
He recalled that 300,000 Russians had since been mobilized and that “a part” of them had already fought. “150,000 (mobilized) are being trained at military bases,” he said. This is a sufficient reserve for conducting operations, a strategic reserve that is not used in combat operations. »
Source: Le Parisien
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