2023-06-27 05:35:11
Against the background of the uprising of the Wagner mercenary group, the Russian negotiator Leonid Slutski pushed for a contract army with at least seven million military and civilian personnel. “The country doesn’t need PMCs (private security and military companies) and the like,” says Slutski, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, on the news app Telegram.
“There are problems in the regular army, but PMCs cannot solve them.” In late 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed an increase in the army from 1.15 million to 1.5 million soldiers, including 695,000 contract soldiers. The increase to seven million would require huge budgetary expenditures. The Russian economy shrank by 2.2 percent last year as a result of the war and Western sanctions and is expected to recover only slightly this year.
The Kremlin is also seeking support from other countries: Leaders of Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) discussed Saturday’s Wagner revolt in a phone call, according to the Kremlin and the UAE state news agency. “After he (the President of the UAE) received comprehensive information, the UAE leader declared his full support for the actions of the Russian leadership,” the WAM news agency said. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed bilateral relations and reiterated the need to safeguard Russia’s stability and the security of its people.
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