Russian Defence chief: armed forces coped with all tasks Putin had set for 2020

Russia’s armed forces have coped with all of the tasks the supreme commander-in-chief set for this year, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said during a distance conference on Friday.

"All of the tasks that the supreme commander-in-chief had set for this period have been coped with," Shoigu said.

He recalled that at the enlarged meeting of the Defense Ministry’s board the head of state thanked the military personnel for professionalism and smooth performance.

Shoigu said that the armed forces’ combat capabilities grew 13% this year.

"The expected level of defense capability is maintained. The nuclear triad guarantees strategic deterrence. The rearmament of troops continued as scheduled," TASS cited Shoigu as saying.

He recalled that the share of newly-made or upgraded weapons had been increased to 70.1% and 95% of military equipment was in order.