Gerasimov called the desire of Finland and Sweden to join NATO a threat to the military security of the Russian Federation

Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the Russian General Staff, said that the reason for adjusting the plan for the development of the Russian Armed Forces was the desire of Finland and Sweden to join NATO, as well as the use of Ukraine to wage a hybrid war against Russia. It is reported by Interfax.

“The plan is approved by the President of the Russian Federation and can be adjusted in case of changes in existing and the emergence of new threats to the military security of the Russian Federation. Today, such threats have become the aspirations of the North Atlantic Alliance to expand at the expense of Finland and Sweden, as well as the use of Ukraine as a tool for waging a hybrid war against our country,” Gerasimov said.

“In order to neutralize these threats, the top leadership of the country has set the task of adjusting the plan for the construction and development of the Armed Forces. Its parameters were approved by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief at an expanded meeting of the board of the Ministry of Defense,” Gerasimov said.

“The main ones are the creation of the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, the formation of three motorized rifle divisions as part of combined arms formations in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as an army corps in Karelia,” he said.

“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,” Gerasimov said.