According to intelligence analysts of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain, Kremlin dictator and war criminal Vladimir Putin ordered the creation of defense forces around Moscow after the attempted mutiny of the late leader of the "Wagner group" Yevgeny Prigozhin last June.
What is known about Putin's attempts to protect Moscow after Prigozhin's attempted mutiny
British intelligence emphasises that in November 2022, Putin supported the creation of the Security Forces of the Moscow government - a new organisation to protect the capital's infrastructure.
As of July 3, 2023, this structure has become significantly more militarised.
Its fighters received permission from the authorities to use firearms.
Analysts of British intelligence assume that several thousand recruits were probably recruited into the ranks of the new military structure out of the planned total number of 15,000 people.
What is known about the new military structure created by order of Putin
The intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain emphasised that this structure is a vivid example of the old Russian tradition of militarisation: the increase in the number of armed organisations outside the regular armed forces.
However, the Moscow government's security forces were likely strengthened in response to concerns about Moscow's local security forces' readiness for a June 2023 offensive by Wagner Group rebel forces.
The project also provides an opportunity for Muscovites to volunteer for "patriotic" war time duties — while avoiding front line service in Ukraine. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has been successful in limitimg of the direct impact of the conflict on the capital's relatively well-off population. The majority of Russian casualties in Ukraine are come from the poorer, provincial regions, the British Ministry of Defense report says.
