Since President Vladimir Putin appointed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in November 2012, the official message from the top brass and leading defense officials presents the Russian military as advanced, reformed and undergoing modernization. Shoigu has introduced some departures from the course of reform set under his predecessor Anatoly Serdyukov (2007–2012). However, the representation of Russia’s Army as a new all-powerful tool at the Kremlin’s disposal is hyperbole. The many weaknesses in defense planning, reform setbacks and the systemic challenges facing the domestic defense industry have been submerged in overly glowing public relations assertions as well as masked by the Crimea …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation