Almost 60% of Russian Armed Forces Armed With Advanced Weapons - General Staff

Nearly 60 percent of the Russian Armed Forces are equipped with advanced weaponry, whose combat capabilities have been proven on the battlefield in Syria, the Russian General Staff said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the week Russian President Vladimir Putin said that efficiency of Russian weapons was proved by fight against terrorism.

"Thanks to the outfitting of the Armed Forces with modern weapons, which is already over 58 percent, systematic combat training and acquired combat experience in Syria, today our army is one of the most combat-capable in the world," chief of the Russian General Staff Main Operational Directorate Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy said.

Russia launched its military operation in Syria on September 30, 2015, at the request of the Syrian government.

The Russian military's strategic planning prioritizes western, southwestern and Arctic directions, the Russian General Staff added.

"The main efforts of the General Staff are focused on increasing the combat capabilities, the capabilities of the Armed Forces, the deployment and reinforcement of force groups in the western, southwestern and Arctic strategic directions," Rudskoy said.