Return of Leningrad and Moscow military districts may indicate that RF is preparing for war with NATO – ISW

The decision of the russian leadership to recreate the Leningrad and Moscow military districts may indicate Moscow's preparation for a potential large-scale military conflict with NATO countries.

This follows from a statement by analysts of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

ISW recalled that earlier russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a decree liquidating the Western Military District (WMD). It was created in 2010 by merging the Leningrad (LMD) and Moscow (MMD) military districts.

The tasks of the WMD, which covered the section of the russian border with Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states, included managing the operations of troops in Ukraine after the start of a full-scale invasion and positioning against NATO.

ISW analysts believe that by returning to the Leningrad and Moscow military districts, the russian leadership solved several problems at once.

The LMD will now run along NATO's northeastern border, and the MMD will border northeastern Ukraine and Poland.

"This will allow russia to simultaneously take a position against NATO and simplify the command and control of troops in the war against Ukraine," the ISW report says.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on February 26, russian dictator Vladimir Putin by his decree, not only recreated the LMD and MMD but also joined the occupied territories of Ukraine to the Southern Military District.

It will be recalled that earlier, a number of mass media reported that the European NATO countries are considering the possibility of creating a continental association in case the United States refuses to help its allies defend themselves against an attack by russia.

The European NATO countries began preparing railways and roads in case of a full-scale war with the russian federation.