Russia is a world leader in terms of modernity of weapons and equipment, despite only being the ninth in the world when it comes to military budget, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.
"The equipment of the army and navy with modern weapons is 71.2%", Shoigu said. "In terms of modernity, our Armed Forces today have a leading position in the world, while in terms of defence spending we are in ninth place".
The minister delivered his remarks during Tuesday's extended meeting of the Russian Ministry of Defence that was attended by President Vladimir Putin.
Shoigu also noted that the military potential of the Russian Army increased by 12.8% in the last year and added that he had ordered to conduct the strategic military exercises "Vostok" (East) and "Grom" (Thunder) in 2022.
Additionally, according to the defence minister, the share of modern weapons in the nuclear triad of Russia has grown to a historic record and is 89.1%.
The minister offered a look into several major Russian military accomplishments. Among other things, he revealed that tests of the long-duration Altius-RU drone have been completed and the supply of Inokhodets and Forpost reconnaissance and strike complexes to the armed forces has begun.
The Russian Navy also conducted a first-ever covert deployment of ships in a remote region of the Pacific Ocean during exercises, Shoigu said.
"For the first time in recent history, an operational exercise with a group of forces of the Pacific Fleet was conducted in the far sea zone. During it, the forces of the fleet carried out a covert deployment in a remote region of the Pacific Ocean", he explained.
The minister added that the Umka complex Arctic expedition, which has no analogues in the world, had been carried out in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. According to Shoigu, in conditions of high latitudes and low temperatures, all weapons confirmed their technical characteristics.
He also stated that Russia has reliably covered its borders in the Arctic from foreign aggression through the construction of military bases. Particularly, the minister said two military bases have been created in the region of the Arctic islands, archipelagos, and in remote areas of the coast. Additionally, the reconstruction of five airfields able to receive all types of aircraft is almost finished.