Russia arming National Guard with heavy weaponry to 'ensure regime security' - UK

Russia's move to arm its National Guard with heavy weaponry is to "ensure regime security", the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has said.

In the latest defence intelligence update posted on X, formerly Twitter, the MOD said the decision to "strengthen the force follows the abortive Wagner mutiny of June 2023".

"On 4 August 2023, President Putin signed into law a measure which will allow Rosgvardia, the Russian National Guard, to be equipped with heavy weaponry," the update said.

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"A sprawling organisation of up to 200,000 frontline personnel, Rosgvardia was created in its modern form in 2016 and is led by Putin's former bodyguard Viktor Zolotov. 

"Despite Zolotov's claim that his force performed 'excellently' during the mutiny, there is no evidence that Rosgvardia carried out any effective action against Wagner: exactly the sort of internal security threat it was designed to repress," the update said.

Earlier this year, the mercenary group Wagner, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, marched on Moscow but stopped short of a possible confrontation with Russian forces.

At the time, the MOD said the armed rebellion led by Wagner marked "the most significant challenge to the Russian state".

And the MOD said in the latest update that the head of Russia's national guard previously suggested "heavy equipment should include artillery and attack helicopters".

"The move suggests that the Kremlin is doubling down on resourcing Rosgvardia as one of the key organisations to ensure regime security," the MOD said.

It comes after Professor Michael Clarke, a former head of the defence think tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told the BFBS Sitrep Podcast the latest drone strikes on Moscow "weakens" President Vladimir Putin's image in Russia.

He added this is leading to nationalists questioning his pursuit of Ukraine and it shows "Russia cannot be adequately defended, even from a... country like Ukraine, is the way that many people interpret it".