From our newsroom:
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says Russia will strengthen its forces in "strategic areas" as part of efforts to ensure no other country can dominate it.
Shoigi made the remarks at a meeting with the Defense Ministry board on January 30.
He said that "the task set by the president -- to prevent military superiority over Russia -- will be fulfilled unconditionally."
Shoigu said that Russia plans to "strengthen our troops and forces in strategic areas" in response to the "military-political situation" near its borders.
Russia's ties with the West are severely strained over the conflict in Ukraine, where NATO and Kyiv say Moscow has sent troops and weapons to help separatists fight government forces.
President Vladimir Putin portrays Russia as a country under constant threat from the West. He said this week that Ukrainian troops were acting as a "foreign NATO legion," an assertion dismissed as "nonsense" by the head of the alliance.
Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and TASS
Semen Semenchenko (a nom de guerre) is a founder of the Donbas Battalion, a pro-Kyiv volunteer territorial defense force.