For three years: Shoigu promised Putin to reform the Russian army - isw

Analysts suggest that such measures of the Russian Federation can take preparation for a protracted war with Ukraine. Among other things, Putin ordered to increase the number of Russian servicemen to 1. 5 million. The head of the Ministry of Defense of Russia announced "large -scale changes" in the composition and staffing of the Armed Forces of Russia, but did not specify what it was specifically.

He also reported the intention to strengthen the key structural components of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. "Shogu announced that Russia would restore the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, form a new Army Corps in Karelia, form new self -sufficient troops in occupied Ukraine and form 12 new maneuvered divisions," the report reads.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated the need for equipment of additional landfills and expansion of state instructors. According to ISW analysts, such large plans can indicate that Russia is preparing not only to continue military aggression against Ukraine, but also seeks to reform the army in general for large -scale fighting.

The experts have expressed doubts that all the tasks mentioned would be put into practice, since earlier Sergei Shoiga had already declared the army reforms that were not implemented in the future. For example, last May, the Minister of Defense spoke about the formation of 12 new units, and in 2021 - about the recruitment of 100,000 reservists. "It is unclear whether the Russian armed forces will grow, as shown described, for three years," - said in ISW.

The report also states that the success of the stated reforms depends on the readiness of President Vladimir Putin to allocate a significant part of the federal budget. Thus, the Russian president will be forced to introduce some kind of martial law in the country. ISW believes that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

Putin's reforms promised by the Russian Defense Minister will most likely not affect the war in Ukraine, but can create conditions for a much more serious military threat in the future. We will remind that on January 17 it became known about the visit of the Minister of Defense of Russia Sergiy Shoig to the command point of the occupation group "East" to Ukraine.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Shoigy listened to the reports of the commander of the group of Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov about the current situation on the front. Focus also wrote that Sergei Shoigu declared his intention to develop the nuclear triad of the Russian Federation and maintain its combat capability. According to the minister, nuclear weapons are "the main guarantor of sovereignty and territorial integrity.