MOSCOW, April 23.— Russia’s concerns regarding the security of its borders were supported this Tuesday with the statements of the Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, who revealed that the presence of NATO forces near the confines of his country includes up to 33,000 troops, about 300 tanks and more than 800 other armored vehicles.
During a meeting with the military leadership reported by RT, the high command noted that “Sweden’s entry into the North Atlantic Alliance at the beginning of March has increased military and political tensions in the western and northwestern strategic directions.”
Likewise, the Minister mentioned that the headquarters of the Ukrainian Security Assistance Group has been deployed in Germany, at the base of the United States European Command.
«A series of NATO joint military force exercises are currently underway. Up to 90,000 people participate in them to practice defending against alleged Russian aggression. “The alliance is trying to intensify its activity in the Arctic,” Shoigu said.
After that, the head stressed that such actions by Western countries force Russia to take appropriate response measures, RT said.
“Proportionately to the threats posed by the United States and its allies, we will continue to improve the composition and structure of the Armed Forces and increase the production of the most in-demand weapons and military equipment,” he explained.
The statements come as the US House of Representatives has just approved a new package of financial and military aid to kyiv amounting to 60 billion dollars.
Moscow has denounced that the support for Ukraine by Washington and the European Union is, in truth, a spearhead aimed at wearing down Russia. Spokesmen from both sides do not hesitate to feed the hypothesis about an alleged Russian attack against them if they win against kyiv.
Although the US package still has to go through the Senate, it is expected to get approval there as well.
In this regard, the Russian Minister of Defense assured that his country’s forces “will increase the intensity of attacks on Western logistics centers and weapons storage bases.”
The head also explained that Russian defense industry companies have multiplied their capabilities, and emphasized that they will continue to fulfill their tasks “until the objectives of the special operation are fully achieved.”
