In a June 23 speech at the Kremlin to a meeting with distinguished graduates of Russian military and security institutions, Russian President Vladimir Putin told them that today’s Russian soldiers “are the direct heirs of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and of all those who have defended our thousand-year-old Russia across generations.”
He added: “We will focus in particular on the nuclear triad. The Strategic Missile Forces will be equipped with the latest Yars systems, and the aviation component of the strategic nuclear forces will be reinforced with upgraded Tu-160M missile carriers this year.
