"Regular regiments and other units have been created," Ishtuganov said.
An organizational and staffing structure has already been approved for the new branch, and its chief has been appointed, the colonel said. Military command bodies have also been set up across the country, he added.
In December 2022, Ishtuganov, then a lieutenant colonel and deputy commander of the 31st Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brigade, was awarded the Gold Star medal of the Hero of Russia by Russian President Vladimir Putin.