In the West, the militarization of space and cyber warfare on the Internet are coming to the fore when developing new weapons. The NATO command also pays close attention to the development of hypersonic weapons and combat robots.
Such an alarming trend was voiced by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, speaking at the IX Moscow Conference on International Security. This representative forum brought together senior military leaders from more than 50 countries. The military leaders gathered in Moscow to "check the clock" and share their forecasts for the prospects of global and regional security.
Addressing his foreign colleagues, Sergei Shoigu stated that now hypersound, digitalization and robotization are coming to the fore when developing new weapons.
"Space and cyberspace are increasingly involved in military confrontation. As part of the armed forces of a number of countries, space and cyber commands are being created, the main task of which is not defense, but planning and conducting offensive operations in the relevant areas," the Russian Defense minister stressed. According to Shoigu, this military-technological race can lead to a new confrontation in the world, which may turn out to be even more dangerous than the cold war.
The Russian side is also concerned about the holding of exercises of the North Atlantic bloc near the borders of the Russian Federation and the possible deployment of short-and medium-range missiles in Europe. Such missiles pose a particular danger to the population of European countries, as they are capable of being equipped with both conventional and nuclear warheads. Their deployment in Europe will return the situation when Europeans were hostages of the confrontation between the USSR and the United States.
"In general, the situation in Europe is explosive, which requires taking concrete steps to de-escalate it," the Russian Defense minister stressed.
He noted that the Russian side has proposed a number of measures to reduce the degree of tension. For example, Russia has come up with a proposal to withdraw the areas of exercises from the contact line. Another Russian initiative is to introduce a moratorium on the deployment of medium-and shorter-range missiles in Europe. The Minister stressed that the direction in which the situation in Europe will develop, including in the field of arms control, largely depends on the United States.
He placed great hopes on the recent meeting of the presidents of Russia and the United States in Geneva, which confirmed the urgency of resuming the strategic dialogue.
"There are many issues in this area that need to be addressed taking into account the concerns and interests of each party. The experts of the Russian Defense Ministry are ready to join this work, " Shoigu said.
Alexander Stepanov
