Putin affirms Russia’s focus on high-precision weaponry

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will prioritize the development of powerful high-accuracy weapons whose combat capabilities would be comparable to those of weapons of mass destruction . “We will also continue the development of our nuclear deterrent, of course,” Putin said at a Friday meeting with World War II veterans during the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Kursk, reported RIA Novosti news agency on Saturday . Taking advantage of high oil and gas prices on global markets, the Russian government has allocated 22 trillion rubles ($730 billion) for its ambitious armed forces rearmament program through 2020. The Russian military sees massive deployment of high-precision weapons as part of Russia’s response to the proposed European “missile shield,” which Moscow considers a threat to its nuclear deterrent. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier in July that Russia will increase its arsenal of cruise missiles by 30 times by the end of the current decade. The Russian military began early on Saturday large-scale exercises in the Eastern Military District aimed at improving combat readiness of the Russian armed forces, the Defense Ministry said. The exercise, which involves over 80,000 servicemen, some 1,000 armored vehicles, 130 aircraft and 70 warships from the Pacific Fleet, will continue until July 20. It is the largest surprise check of combat readiness of the Russian military in the post-Soviet period. “The main goal of the drills is to check the readiness of units to carry out their missions, and to assess the quality of their training and technical preparedness,” the ministry said in a statement.