MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/. The military units that are being formed in Russia are receiving weapons and equipment as they are being manned, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said.

"As the manning process continues, the planned deliveries of weapons, military and special equipment are taking place; military servicemen are receiving training and unit training is being held," he said during a conference call with the senior staff of the Defense Ministry.

The defense chief noted that according to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree on increasing the troop strength of the Russian Armed Forces, military administration bodies were being formed in the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts, along with an all-arms army and an army corps.

In December 2022, Shoigu emphasized the need to create two combined strategic territorial military units, the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts. He said that such a move stemmed from "NATO’s desire to increase its military power near Russia’s border and expand the North Atlantic Alliance to Finland and Sweden." Shoigu also highlighted the need to improve the composition and structure of all of the Russian Armed Forces.