NATO’s desire to expand at the expense of Sweden and Finland, as well as the use by the West of Ukraine as a tool for hybrid confrontation with Russia, are the main threats to the Russian Federation. This was stated by the head of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov in an interview aif.rupublished January 24th.
He emphasized that the plan for the development of the Armed Forces (AF) of the Russian Federation is comprehensive and provides for practical measures to implement promising areas for the development of the army for the defense of the country.
Gerasimov added that in connection with the new threats, the Russian authorities set the task of adjusting the development plan for the RF Armed Forces. Thus, the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, three motorized rifle divisions as part of combined arms formations in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as an army corps in Karelia will be created.
“The main goal of this work is to ensure guaranteed protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country and create conditions for its progressive socio-economic development,” the head of the General Staff concluded.
Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Sweden should not wait for support for Turkey’s NATO membership bid after scandalous protests on the topic of religious hatred took place in Stockholm. The Turkish leader noted that “dirty actions in Sweden” near the Turkish diplomatic mission are an insult to Muslims, and in general to all people, all rights and freedoms. Earlier, on January 21, in Sweden, Danish politician and lawyer Rasmus Paludan, who also leads the anti-Islamic Hard Deal party, burned a copy of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
In June, Ankara presented 10 conditions for lifting the veto on NATO membership of Sweden and Finland. One of the points was a proposal to support Turkey in its fight against terrorist organizations recognized by Ankara, including the PKK.
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO on May 18, 2022. At the end of June, members of the bloc officially invited countries to join the North Atlantic Alliance and agreed to sign accession protocols.
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