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Defense Ministry to form four divisions in 2017, including one to protect Kurils

© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

MOSCOW, February 22. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry plans to be through with forming four new divisions this year, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told the State Duma on Wednesday, adding that one would be protecting the Kuril Islands.

"We hope to be through with the deployment of three divisions on the western border and in the southwest. Active work is underway to protect the Kuril Islands. We are to deploy a division there, hopefully this year, too," Shoigu said.

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