Russian defense minister says military reforms will last from 2023 until 2026

On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu revealed new details about the country’s planned military reforms that were first announced in late December.

According to state media reports, Shoigu said that “large-scale changes to the composition of the Armed Forces, an increase in its size, and changes to the military-administrative divisions of the Russian Federation” will be implemented from 2023–2026. In December, he said it would be “necessary” to increase the army to 1.5 million troops.

The minister also said that the reforms will include, among other things, “forming an army corps in the Republic of Karelia, three motorized rifle divisions in the Ground Forces, and two air assault divisions in the Airborne Troops; reconfiguring seven motorized rifle brigades into motorized rifle divisions in the Western, Central, and Eastern military districts and in the Northern Fleet;” and “creating two new cross-branch strategic territorial units of the Armed Forces — the Moscow and Leningrad military districts — as well as self-sufficient groups of troops (forces) on the territories of the new subjects of the Russian Federation.”

In addition, Shoigu said, the military will “increase the number of training grounds in the military districts and on the territories of Russia’s new subjects.”