Russia wants to increase their military to 1.5 million troops. This would be an increase from the pre-war paper strength of about a million troops.
Shoigu proposed that Russia reestablish the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, form a new army corps, and form 17 new maneuver divisions. Shoigu suggested that Russia form a new army corps in Karelia, two new airborne assault divisions, three new motorized rifle divisions in occupied Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts, and expand seven existing brigades of the Northern Fleet and Western, Central, and Eastern Military districts into seven new motorized rifle divisions while expanding five existing naval infantry brigades into five naval infantry divisions. Shoigu also proposed that Russia form five artillery divisions to support military districts.The Russians already embarked on a program to increase their military power by reforming it. I didn't see it as working. And it didn't, as actual combat against Ukraine has shown.
Now Russia will restore their big divisions. This sounds like a nostalgia move recalling the time when the Red Army deployed (and used up) divisions in their offensives. Apparently, Russia will abandon the battalion tactical group as their primary maneuver element.
It is a very dramatic increase in manpower. Can Russia get that manpower? Will the Russians have the officers to lead them? And with equipment losses and problems equipping their current army, what will those divisions have to fight with? Ramp up the production of pointy sticks to equip them?
Ah, no worries Neo-Comrades! Putin ordered that to happen!
President Vladimir Putin on Friday told Russia's defence industry chiefs to up their game to ensure that the Russian army quickly got all the weapons, equipment and military hardware it needed to fight in Ukraine.
Of course, Russia has made grand army announcements before. Why don't they have their awesome phalanxes in place by now? But really, it was an awesomely scary announcement on top of others.
In the long run, Russia would have to recreate the Soviet priorities of diverting resources from the civilian economy to expand and equip their military that much:
Vladimir Putin declared that this new force would be created regardless of costs. That means less money for economic expansion and consumer goods. It’s a return to the Soviet Union era economy. The communist Soviet economy failed so badly that it caused national bankruptcy and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
That worked out well for the USSR, eh?
UPDATE: Promises:
President Vladimir Putin's defence minister vowed on Tuesday to build a deeper arsenal of weapons, bolster aviation technology to better evade air defences and improve drone production after a series of battlefield humiliations in Ukraine.
NOTE: Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
