UK intelligence assesses Russia's ability to reform army

The UK Ministry of Defense reported this on Twitter.

UK intelligence draws attention to the fact that on January 17, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced plans for major changes in the structure of the armed forces, which should be implemented from 2023 to 2026. In particular, they foresee an increase in the personnel of the Russian army to 1.5 million, which is 250,000 more than was announced earlier.

Shoigu also announced the restoration of the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, a partial return to the Soviet organization of troops in the west of the Russian Federation.  In addition, a new army corps is planned to be created in Karelia, near the Finnish border.

“Shoigu’s plans signal that the Russian leadership highly likely assesses that an enhanced conventional military threat will endure for many years beyond the current Ukraine war. However, Russia will highly likely struggle to staff and equip the planned expansion,” UK intelligence concluded. 

• On December 21, 2022, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu proposed to increase the number of Russian Armed Forces to 1.5 million people.

• On January 17, 2023, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin instructed to increase the Russian army to 1.5 million military personnel over the next three years.