MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/. The Russian Strategic Missile Forces have raised their proportion of new-generation missile systems to 88% amid new deliveries, Colonel General Sergey Karakayev, the commander of the forces, told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

"In 2023, about 80 new main types weapons and military equipment were delivered to the Strategic Missile Forces as part of the government’s defense contracts. This made it possible to complete an upgrade of three missile regiments with Yars and Avangard missile systems. That means the proportion of the latest missile systems in the Strategic Missile Forces battlegroup has reached 88%," Karakayev said.

He said that implementation of the planned measures for the upgrade of the Strategic Missile Forces allowed for a greater proportion of the latest strategic missile systems and increased the capabilities of the battlegroup to carry out the mission of nuclear deterrence.

"The Strategic Missile Forces, possessing the largest number of missile delivery vehicles in Russia's strategic triad, now provide guaranteed security for Russia with the number, power and capabilities of warheads and systems for the penetration of missile defenses," he said.

The Strategic Missile Forces are the most important component of Russia's strategic nuclear forces, which maintain permanent readiness. The forces trace their history back to December 17, 1959, when the Soviet Council of Ministers issued a decree establishing the post of commander-in-chief of the Missile Forces and creating the Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces and some other military administration bodies.