Syrian Combat Experience, Defense of Territory Demand Rearmament - Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Syrian combat experience, as well as the need to protect the country's territory in the west, south-west and the Arctic demand army's rearmament.

Putin has held a meeting with the Russian Defense Ministry and the military-technical complex enterprises.

"I must note that the combat experience during the operation in the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as the need to boost the defense of Arctic territories and [Russia's] borders in the west and south-west demanded more precise approaches to the rearmament of troops," Putin said.

He commented on the realization of the 2011-2020 rearmament program of the Russian armed forces.

Putin said that last year 5,600 new types of weapons have been received by the Russian army. Moreover, some 3,000 models of military and specialized equipment were repaired or modernized.

He said that this year the Russian Armed Forces must be supplied with advanced weaponry by 62 percent.

Earlier, Aerospace Forces' Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Viktor Gumenny said that the share of the advanced weaponry and equipment in the air defense and radio-technical forces would amount to almost 70 percent by the beginning of 2018.

Russia is in the process of implementing a large-scale rearmament program, which was announced in 2010. The country aims to modernize 70 percent of its military hardware by 2020.