Russia is boosting its standing army to 1.5 million soldiers to counter threats from the West.
RT:
Russian plans to boost its standing army to some 1.5 million troops are necessary for its safety, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, accusing the US and its allies of waging a proxy war against Moscow. The target strength was proposed by the Defense Ministry in December.
“The proxy war includes elements of indirect participation in military action, elements of economic war, financial war, lawfare,” Peskov explained to journalists on Tuesday. He added that it was the Defense Ministry’s duty to ensure the safety of Russia. The particular tools for achieving the proposed goal are still being worked on, Peskov stated.
Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu suggested increasing the number of Russian troops in active military service to 1.5 million during a ministerial meeting on December 21, which was attended by President Vladimir Putin. He said career soldiers and officers serving under a contract should comprise roughly 695,000 of the number, with the rest enrolled through conscription.
During a Defense Ministry meeting on Tuesday, Shoigu said the increase and certain other military changes are planned to take place between 2023 and 2026. The measures are needed “to ensure the military security of the nation, defend the [formerly Ukrainian] new [federal] subjects and critical objects of the Russian Federation,” the minister said.
The media is also prepping the public for the looming Russian military offensive.
Ukraine is preparing for a new offensive as Russia and Belarus begin joint military exercises.
The joint exercises add to fears that Moscow will use its ally to launch a new ground offensive, as it did during the invasion in February. https://t.co/FjX8VmyEq6
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) January 16, 2023
Some in the media are trying to downplay the significance of all this or paint it in a negative light.
A source in Ukrainian military intelligence expects Russia to try to mobilise half a million more men ahead of a fresh offensive in the spring. If conscription resumes, thousands more Russian men will try to leave the country https://t.co/nWyRKQwdUb
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) January 17, 2023
lol at Malcolm Nance.
I am seeing no real intelligence indicators that Russia has massive numbers ready to make a imminent offensive. Apart from the Wagner effort in Donbas, Russia’s offensive force in Ukraine is spent. Yes they could mobilize but that would take many more months w/o any new tanks. https://t.co/wGx9GKwTJY
— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) January 17, 2023
The only thing this stupid war in the Ukraine has done is made Russia stronger and the West weaker.
