Russia’s armed forces will deploy additional weapons in two military districts in response to challenges that may arise from Finland and Sweden joining NATO, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
At a press conference following a diplomatic forum in Antalya, the minister said it was surprising to see Finland and Sweden instantly swap their neutrality to join NATO.
“We have already taken organisational decisions, the Moscow Military District and the Leningrad Military District have been created. Additional weapons will be deployed there, which will be adequate to the challenges that may appear on the territory of Finland and Sweden,” Lavrov said.
All the long decades of good neighbourliness with these countries have gone to waste, the Russian Foreign Minister complained.
On 26 February, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree, which recreated the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, as well as established their composition. In his address to the Federal Assembly, the head of state announced plans to seriously strengthen the groupings of the Russian Armed Forces in the western direction in connection with the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO.
The head of the Defence Ministry, Sergey Shoigu, said that 18 military units in the Central Military District would be reorganised in 2024.