Medvedev Says Russian Rearmament On Level With WWII

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says the current level of rearmament of Russia’s military is similar to the Soviet Union's rearmament toward the end of World War II.

Medvedev was speaking to a group of veterans ahead of May 9 Victory Day celebrations marking the end of the war in Europe.

Medvedev said some 75 percent of weapons currently used would be replaced with modern weapons before 2020.

Medvedev said the process is already well under way.

“I think [the rearmament campaign] is only comparable to what we had during [World War II] and after the war,” he said.

All branches of Russia’s military have received new weapons.

The first new-generation Su-34 bombers were deployed to the Russian Air Force on May 6.

Based on reporting by ITAR-TASS and Interfax