Russia's 200,000-strong national guard is getting armed with heavy weaponry, in a sign of its growing importance to Putin, UK intel says

Tue, 08/08/2023 - 08:01

Russian President Vladimir Putin sits in a chair, glaring — Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, in July 2023.
Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Kremlin via REUTERS

Russia is granting its 200,000-strong national guard force heavy weaponry, the UK MOD said.
This shows how the Kremlin sees the force as key to ensuring "regime security," per the MOD.
While its leader bragged of its response to the Wagner mutiny, there's no sign it did much, the MOD said.

Russia's 200,000-strong national guard force is likely to be armed with heavy weaponry in a sign of its growing importance to President Vladimir Putin's regime security, according to UK intelligence.