On February 27th, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the creation of new units and formations in the Russian Armed Forces in 2019.
The announcement took place during the Defense Ministry Board Session in Moscow.
Before moving along the points on the agenda Shoigu noted some of the significant factors of the international situation.
Sergei Shoigu stressed that “at present, it is characterized by increased competition between global power centers, increased uncertainty factors, bursts of instability and violence in different regions of the planet, and an increase in conflict potential in areas of Russia’s traditional interests.”
“At the same time, the United States is seeking to retain the positions of the superpower, manipulate international law, persistently seek to change the existing conventional arms control regime in Europe in its favor, and also make it difficult for Russia to use its rights under the Treaty on Open Skies,” the Minister of Defense said.
He also strongly emphasized the fact of the development of the forward-based NATO system in the Baltic countries, Eastern and Southern Europe continues. Already more than 200 crews from 13 countries of the alliance have acquired the skills of flying over the territory of the Baltic countries and the Baltic Sea.
This, according to him requested an adequate response from the Russian side.
“In such a situation, we are forced to respond adequately, combining strategic deterrence measures with a planned increase in the combat capabilities of the formations and military units,” he said.
Specific work was being done in this direction:
“Combat composition of the troops and their basing systems are being modernized.
The share of modern weapons in the Western Military District –– up to 54%, in the Southern –– up to 60%, in the Eastern –– up to 51%.
In accordance with the approved Action Plan for 2019, in the Western Military District, the main efforts will be focused on the implementation of 142 organizational measures, the main of which are the formation of a mobile reserve anti-aircraft missile regiment (the effectiveness of covering military and government facilities in the Baltic operational direction will increase by 40%) a tank regiment in the Baltic Fleet, two regiments in the 20th Army, a district technical missile base, a coastal missile division in the Baltic Fleet, the completion of building military towns for the newly formed 3rd and 144th motorized rifle divisions of the 20th Army, maintaining combat readiness and combat capability of 23 battalion task groups.
The military district will receive up to 1,272 pieces of new and modernized armaments and special hardware.”
For specific districts:
- In the Southern Military District, more than 30 main organizational measures are planned to be implemented, including the formation of a missile brigade, two regiments, a missile battalion of the Ball coastal missile complex, and the Mobilization Deployment Support Center. The military units will receive more than 1,200 pieces of new and modernized equipment. As a result, the share of modern samples will increase to 66%, and the combat capabilities of the district will increase by 1.3 times. It is planned to put into operation more than 450 objects by late 2019.
- In the Eastern Military District, the main efforts are focused on the implementation of 56 organizational measures, the main of which concern the formation of the management of a mixed aviation division, an anti-aircraft missile brigade (the effectiveness of air defense in the Amur-Sakhalin direction will increase by 15%), engineering regiment, Bastion coastal missile defense. By the end of the year, 26 battalion tactical groups will join the district troops. The military district will receive up to 1,744 pieces of new and modernized armaments and special hardware to rearm 139 military formations.
Also, the Russian Armed Forces and the Belarus Armed Forces are actively preparing for the Union Shield 2019 war games, as well as a special exercise of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the CSTO Interaction 2019.
3079 operational and combat training events are planned for the wargames.
Shoigu once more reiterated that Union Shield 2019 is defensive in nature and is not direct against any third countries. Similar exercise are held once every two years, at the behest of the Presidents of Russia and Belarus.
Furthermore, Shoigu stressed that the armed forces not only participate in combat training, but they are also actively involved in the elimination of consequences from natural disasters.
Between January 11th and February 12th army units carried out a clearing of the riverbed of the Bureya River, which was blocked as a result of a landslide.
The weather conditions were difficult and there was no transport infrastructure, at a long distance from sources of life support.
The total volume of rocks produced was about 470,000 cubic meters.
“We can say that the operation to move such an amount of rocks in such a short period of time is literally unique,” Shoigu noted.
As a result, the threat has now been completely eliminated for the settlements in the Khabarovsky Krai, where about 700 people live, as well as for the automobile and railway communications.
Flood season is also to begin soon, thus Shoigu instructed commanders of the military districts and the Northern Fleet to monitor the situation in cooperation with the respective institutions, to assist local and regional authorities.
Other issues on the agenda of the board session included: international environment, action plans for Western, Southern and Eastern military districts as part of implementation of the decrees of the President of Russia in May 2012 and 2018, his instructions on the outcome of the meetings in Sochi, as well as President’s Address to Federal Assembly.
The commanders of the respective military districts reported on the progress of the implementation.
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