According to the Kremlin’s official website, the Defense Ministry’s annual expanded meeting was held at the National Defense Management Center on December 21. Vladimir Putin also took part in the event. The president made a speech in which he outlined the current world situation and indicated future vectors of development for the Armed Forces.
In his speech, the head of state praised the work of the military in Syria. Putin noted that the presence of soldiers in the region “makes a tangible contribution to strengthening stability in that republic“. The president also referred to the work of peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Commander-in-Chief also praised the successes of Russian naval forces in the exercises that took place in the Baltic and other northern seas.
In his speech Vladimir Putin also commented on the military and political situation in the world. According to the president, it remains complicated. There are many hotbeds in the world that provoke countries to conflict. As an example the head of the state gave the fact of the military buildup near the borders of Russia and the holding of unplanned exercises. The presence of American troops near the border was also confirmed by Sergei Shoigu.
Putin expressed particular concern about the possibility of placing missiles on Ukrainian territory. In the event of such a development, NATO could have a critical strategic base. A missile from such a base would reach Moscow within five minutes.
The President especially emphasized the fact of the growing threat from the US. The appearance of missiles in Ukraine means a real threat in fact “at the doorstep of our motherland”.
The head of state also suggested that after that the US could arm “extremists from a neighboring state” with hypersonic weapons and “push them towards Russia, including certain regions of the Russian Federation, say, Crimea, under circumstances that they think are beneficial to themselves”.
Donbass was also discussed at the meeting. Shoigu stressed the fact that the number of attacks on the self-proclaimed republics had not decreased. According to the defense minister, these outbursts provoke retaliatory actions.
Putin outlined directions for the Russian Armed Forces to develop. The President mentioned the following objectives: to continue equipping the troops with modern weapons and their mastering, to create a reserve of military commanders, and to develop military and technical cooperation with the CSTO and SCO countries.
