Russia will always find an adequate response to any pressure coming from the outside, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a gala-show ahead of the Defender of the Fatherland Day, which honors those who served in the armed forces.
“Nobody should have any illusions that it’s possible to achieve military superiority over Russia – or put it under some sort of pressure – as we will always have an adequate response to such reckless schemes,” Putin told the audience.
Putin said Russian soldiers and officers have proven that they are ready to act "decisively, coherently, professionally and courageously, performing the most difficult unconventional tasks, as befits a modern, experienced, combat-ready army, which values its traditions and military duty," RT said in a report.
Defender of the Fatherland Day is an annual holiday in Russia celebrated on February 23 to honor those who serve or have served in the Russian military.
Putin's comments came the same day British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said that Putin posed a "real and present danger" to the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all of which are NATO members.
In comments published by The Times, Fallon said NATO was preparing to repel any possible aggression.
According to Putin, a lot has been done in the country in recent years to improve the effectiveness of the military administration.
“A large-scale program of rearming the army and navy is being successfully implemented, which includes an active development of the aerospace and nuclear forces," he said.
Putin called the move "the guarantee of global parity," adding that he will do everything in his power for the military’s potential to keep growing.
He also noted that later this year, on May 9, the world will be celebrating 70 years since the end of World War II. The USSR lost around 26 million people in WWII, with over half of the victims being civilians.
Ukraine Eying 4,500 Joint Army
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko signed a law ratifying the creation of a joint military unit with Poland and Lithuania. The unit is set to carry out tasks which have been given a UN Security Council mandate.
“The Agreement provides for the establishment of joint Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian military unit and determines the general purpose, principles of activity, decision-making process, security guarantees and other organizational measures related to the activity of the brigade,” the Ukrainian president’s official website said.
The brigade is to become a UN and EU peacekeeping force. Other states can join it under joint invitation from the three states.
The Ukrainian commitment is planned at 545 soldiers, according to the country’s defense ministry.
Poland and Lithuania were expected to contribute up to 3,800 and 350 servicemen respectively. The funding will be separate for each country’s contingent and it will be provided by the governments of the participants. The HQ is going to be situated in Lublin in Eastern Poland.
The defense ministers of the three countries agreed to form the unit last September in Warsaw, and plan to conduct the first joint military drill in 2015. Ukraine’s parliament ratified it on February 4.
The idea to create a joint Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian brigade was first put forward in 2007, when the three states decided to establish a joint battalion.
A year later, a more ambitious plan of assembling an entire brigade of Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Polish troops was put forward.
