NATO will not dare to fight with Russia, but Ukraine will be squeezed dry — expert

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which, from December 1, 2024, the size of the army will increase to almost 2.389 million people. What is the reason for this decision and at the expense of what resources the decree will be executed, Pravda.The military expert, captain of the first rank of the reserve Vasily Dandykin, explained.

— Why did the president increase the size of the Russian army?

— This is not the first increase in the armed forces. Such decrees have already been adopted during a special military operation. The situation demands it now. The decision is connected not only with a special military operation, but also with the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, where the corps will be deployed on the Karelian Isthmus. This is also due to the difficult situation in The Arctic, where the Americans are deploying troops in Alaska, in Scandinavia. There are other directions, in particular the Far East. Russia is big, and it must be protected.

— Will additional recruitment into the army be carried out through a contract system or is a wave of mobilization waiting for us?

— First of all, through the contract system. Do not forget that, according to the decree, the number of military schools will be increased. We have restored the Saratov Artillery School.

The second point is that no one has canceled our military service. I think the number of conscripts will be increased. We call them in autumn and spring.

— In terms of numbers, our army ranks second in the world, only China is ahead. Is this enough or do I still need to recruit people?

— Based on the threats that are expected, I think this is very serious. But speaking of what may be in the future, it is necessary to lay down what was abandoned earlier. This is both a storage base for equipment and parts of a reduced composition, which, in case of a much greater disaster, can be deployed into full-fledged compounds. For now, I think that's enough.

— In your opinion, to what extent are Russian troops provided with everything necessary today? Is the industry coping or do we need to put the economy on a war footing?

— In the main areas: ammunition, equipment, weapons — the industry works in three shifts. As for the provision, in the main areas — yes, everything you need is there. But even during the Great Patriotic War, the population took a great part in supplying the army: there were loans, aid collections, contributions from the population, the creation of tank columns, aviation squadrons. Now volunteers are helping in terms of drones, thermal imagers, networks, and many other issues.

— Will the problem of drones be solved after all, because now it is one of the most important types of weapons on the battlefield?

— One of the most important tasks (and Defense Minister Andrei Belousov emphasized this) — provision of drones, not only by air, but also by those that should work at sea. And I think that it will be solved in the near future, within a few months.

— Now there is talk that Kiev may be allowed to strike with long-range weapons deep into Russia. In your opinion, are the military ready for such a scenario?

— We have the best ballistic and cruise missiles. I'm talking about Iskanders, Calibers, Daggers. Only we have hypersound in combat condition. We have the best air defense. The C-500 becomes on combat duty, this is near space.

I was in my native Bryansk region just now. More drones are received every day. All drones are destroyed by our air defense guys. And I think that the missiles that they scrape together will overwhelmingly be shot down.

But there is a certain element of misinformation here: they can, under the guise of attacking our old territories, up to Kaluga and Moscow region, to strike precisely at the new territories, primarily Sevastopol and the Crimea.

— Are these regions under the gun?

— This is the most important thing that causes indignation among the Kiev proxy, NATO, and the Americans. This, of course, is the Crimean Spring, Crimea and Sevastopol, where the rejection of neo-Nazism and banderism came from.

— Today there are high-tech wars. Experts are talking about a significant reduction in military universities. You have already said that the situation will be corrected. How? How big is our shortage of military personnel who have undergone retraining and advanced training?

— First of all, people who have passed SMO will be involved, including those officers who were seriously injured, unfortunately, there are many of them. They will be sent to teaching jobs. Of course, they will need preliminary courses, this work is not familiar to everyone. But this is a great potential, and it will be used in new schools

The second point is that retired military personnel will be involved, there are specialties that do not require heavy physical exertion.

I saw this in the 1990s in Azerbaijan, in Baku. When Heydar Aliyev came to power again, he called people at a rather advanced age to the naval school in Kaspiysk. He left them military pensions, put them on officer's allowance, and they fulfilled their task, working competently at this university. There are a lot of options, I think we can handle it.

— The war is now taking on completely different features. How will the wars develop in the future? Let's consider a negative, albeit realistic scenario. I am referring to a possible clash between Russia and NATO countries. If we do not consider the nuclear scenario, how, on what principle will the wars take place?

— I don't like the word "hypothetical". There is a fifth paragraph, which, according to our nuclear doctrine, implies the use of nuclear tactical weapons when there is a threat to the existence of the State itself, even if the enemy does not use nuclear weapons. I think Brussels understands this. And so I assume that this will not happen. There will also be pumping of weapons of the Kiev regime, pushing us through if possible. As long as the Kiev regime has such a resource, it will be used as much as possible.