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Russia is steadily channelling efforts into defence buildup to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

At a council meeting of the Ministry of Defence on April 23, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that NATO’s expansion has escalated military tension in the strategic directions of the western and northwestern parts of the country and such moves of the Western countries have compelled his country to take countermeasures.

Russia would further increase the production of essential weapons and technical equipment to cope with the threats by the US and its allies, he declared.

He said that such anti-aircraft missile systems as S-500 of a new generation and S-400 and radars will be delivered to anti-aircraft units this year.

The proportion of modern military hardware in those units reaches 82% at present, he noted, pointing to the need to increase the proportion to 85% in two years to come.

Meanwhile, more than 9 400 pieces of weaponry and technical equipment are said to be supplied to the Moscow and Leningrad military districts reorganized to deal with the expansion of NATO and its arms buildup near the border with Russia, and over 7 000 of them are to be allotted to the Leningrad military district.