[Regnum] Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that there are about 360,000 NATO troops near the borders of Russia and Belarus, and the number of formations of non-regional countries of the bloc has increased by 2.5 times. He announced this on Wednesday, August 9.
“Including the armed forces of the Eastern European countries, about 360,000 military personnel, eight thousand armored vehicles, six thousand artillery systems and mortars, 650 aircraft and helicopters are deployed in the immediate vicinity of the borders of the Union State,” the head of the Defense Ministry said .
Shoigu noted that the number of formations of non-regional states of the North Atlantic bloc has increased by 2.5 times since February 2022 and exceeded 30,000 people. The minister stressed that threats to Russia's military security require a timely and adequate response. Shoigu also stressed that significant risks are associated with the militarization of Poland, which, as the head of the Defense Ministry noted, has become the main instrument of the US anti-Russian policy.
“Warsaw has announced its intention to build the most powerful army on the continent, in connection with this, large-scale purchases of weapons from the United States, Great Britain, and the Republic of Korea have begun, including tanks, artillery systems, air defense systems, missile defense systems and combat aircraft,” he said.
As IA Regnum reported, on June 20, Shoigu said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine were trying to attack Russian troops with elite formations trained by NATO. The head of the Ministry of Defense noted that since June 4, the Kiev regime has made 263 attempts to attack the positions of Russian troops, but thanks to the competent and selfless actions of our units, they were all repulsed.
Before that, in his speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that NATO is certainly being drawn into the conflict in Ukraine, supplying Kiev with more and more heavy equipment. But the Leopard tanks are being destroyed, and if fighters are supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they will also be destroyed, the head of state noted.