MOSCOW
\nRussia plans to overhaul its air defense forces after gaining new experience in the war in Ukraine and will also bolster its air defenses to counter Finland\u2019s accession to the NATO military alliance, a commander in Russia\u2019s aerospace forces said.
\nSince Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year in what it calls \u201ca special military operation,\u201d the fighting has descended into a grinding artillery war with extensive use of drones and missiles, testing the air defenses of both Russia and Ukraine.
\nIn an interview published on Monday with the Red Star newspaper, Lt. Gen. Andrei Demin, deputy commander-in-chief of aerospace forces, said air defense forces had faced a number of challenges in the face of Ukrainian strikes.
\nRussia, he said, had added more than 50 mobile radar stations and A-50 early warning and control aircraft patrolled 24 hours a day while missile and anti-aircraft installations in regions next to Ukraine had been bolstered.
\nIn Ukrainian regions under Russian control, air defense units had been set up to defend key installations, Demin said, while Russia had ramped up production of the RLK-MC anti-drone system. Reforms \u201care undoubtedly planned and will be implemented,\u201d Demin told the defense ministry\u2019s newspaper.
\n\u201cThe purpose of the upcoming changes is the development of the armed forces, aimed at improving the air defense system of the Russian Federation.\u201d
\nDemin said that Russia would also bolster is defenses after Finland, which shares a 1,300-km (800-mile) border with Russia, joined NATO.
\n\u201cIn these conditions, the air defense forces are working out issues of protecting the state border in the north-west of the country in accordance with the increased threat level,\u201d Demin said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MOSCOW Russia plans to overhaul its air defense forces after gaining new experience in the war in Ukraine and will also bolster its air defenses to counter Finland\u2019s accession to the NATO military alliance, a commander in Russia\u2019s aerospace forces said. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year in what it calls \u201ca […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-325099","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n