Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday praised the military power of his country and stressed that Russia is “stronger than any potential aggressor”. The head of state made this statement at the annual enlarged meeting of the Collegium of the Ministry of defence. The commander in chief arrived on Board of the Ministry of foreign Affairs, where he attended the farewell ceremony for Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov, murdered in Ankara on Monday.
The funeral of a Russian diplomat, who was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia, was celebrated by the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill. While in the Temple of Christ the Savior was the funeral, in the Ministry of defence met the extended Board, which was made by Putin and defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“We still have to do a lot. However, today, given many factors, including not only military, but also our history, geography, the internal state of Russian society, we can confidently say: today we are stronger than any potential aggressor. Any”.
But Putin requires even more. “If we allow ourselves even for a moment to relax, to allow at least one significant failure in the modernization of the army and Navy, in the training of troops, the situation can change very quickly, given the speed of world events,” he said.
According to the Russian leader, “at the proper level is maintained as the nuclear triad, which plays a key role in maintaining strategic parity with the United States. Putin also demanded “to strengthen the combat potential of the strategic nuclear forces, primarily due to the missile systems, able to overcome existing and future missile defence systems”.
Putin urged “accurately track any changes in the balance of power and military-political situation in the world, especially along the perimeter of Russian borders, and make timely adjustments to the plans to neutralize potential threats to our country.”
The Russian leader urged the military “to use maximum of the new opportunities arising in connection with the effectiveness of the use of Russian weapons in Syria.” During the Syrian campaign of Russia tested 162 example of modern and upgraded weapons, including the latest su-30SM and su-34, helicopters Mi-28N and Ka-52, said defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. According to the Minister, suspended the purchase (apparently, his Ministry) 10 weapons to eliminate the shortcomings identified in the course of their use in Syria.
In his speech, the Minister did not mention the two planes, wrecked off the coast of Syria: MiG-29 (13 November) and su-33 (December 3) when landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov”, the only ship of this class, available to Russia. This cruiser was launched in 1985 with the purpose of protection of the Soviet nuclear submarines.
