Russia to modernize weaponry for Crimea, Arctic forces

April 12 (UPI) -- The Kremlin plans to modernize weaponry and equipment issued to Russian forces in Crimea and the Arctic regions.

Russian defense officials disclosed the move during a Defense Ministry Board meeting in Moscow on Wednesday. Discussions focused on an armament program set to take place from 2018 through 2025.

According to Russian Army General Sergei Shoigu, the program is necessary for the Kremlin to begin researching and developing new weapons.

"The planned events will allow equipping the army and the navy with modern armaments and military hardware and will give a possibility to lay scientific and technical groundwork for developing principally new and non-traditional types of weapons," he told the TASS news agency.

In a Facebook post, the ministry noted 42 percent of equipment used by the country's land forces is up to modern standards, compared to 47 percent for the navy and 66 percent for the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 following a military intervention aimed at assisting pro-Kremlin groups in the area. The conflict has prompted NATO-aligned countries to conduct more military exercises as a show of force.