Russian Defense Chief Unveils Plans for Western Military District to Counter NATO Buildup

According to Sergey Shoigu, the countermeasures will be synchronized with the supply of modern weapons and military equipment to the troops

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defence Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. During a recent panel, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu revealed how many military units will be formed in the Western Military District in response to NATO's buildup near Russia's borders.

"Twelve military units and subunits will be formed in the Western Military District by the end of the year," Shoigu said, noting that tensions continue to mount in the area of responsibility of the Western Military District, which is also due to the possible admission of Finland and Sweden to NATO.

According to the defense chief, these countermeasures will be synchronized with the supply of modern weapons and military equipment to the troops. "This year, we intend to get more than 2,000 pieces of such equipment," he added.

Shoigu noted that inspections based on the results of the winter training period showed a qualitative increase in the level of training of the district's formations by 25% compared to the previous year.

According to the defense minister, the intensity of combat training tasks performed by the ships of the Baltic Fleet increased by 42%. More than 300 combat exercises with application of various kinds of weaponry were fulfilled. Since the beginning of the year, the aviation of the district has increased by 4%.