Putin establishes directorate for patriotic education of military soldiers

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on July 30 to create a new general department-level agency responsible for educating and strengthening patriotism among more than one million regular soldiers of the country's military, according toReuters.

"In the age of global information and explosive psychological warfare, the role of rectifying political and moral consciousness in the army and society becomes more important than ever," said Aleksandr Kanshin,Member of the Russian Federation's Committee on Veterans, Servicemen and Homeland Affairs, stated.

The Kremlin decree also appointed Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov, commander of Russian forces in Syria, as head of the newly created directorate. The Russian Defense Ministry did not disclose the organizational structure of the directorate for patriotic education, but Kommersant reported that it is also responsible for the activities of the patriotic cadet organization "Yunarmiya", which is part of the Russian military.

Since President Putin came to power, the Russian military has gradually restored its potential and marked its return with modernization efforts and military intervention campaigns abroad.

In March, the Kremlin leader pledged to quadruple the power and strike potential of Moscow's high-precision weapons by 2021.

Mr Putin said Russia's naval power would be enhanced with new warships and submarines equipped with modern weapons such as cruise missiles, while the air force would also receive new generation fighter jets.