According to the head of the region, there are a total of about 3,000 people in the battalions. The governor stressed that now the authorities of the region are studying the issue of providing the battalions with the necessary weapons.
The formation of territorial defense detachments began in the fall of 2022. Since November 2022, the Belgorod militia have been training, they have been provided with uniforms and equipment. However, the fighters of the territorial defense battalions did not receive weapons.
As Gladkov noted, the need for armament of the territorial defense was clearly manifested after the events in the Graivoron district of the Belgorod region, where the Ukrainian formation invaded on May 22. If there were armed units of the territorial defense in the area, they would provide all possible assistance to the border guards, the National Guard and the military in repelling Ukrainian aggression.
It should be noted that the need to create territorial defense formations is felt today not only in the Belgorod region, but also in all border regions of the Russian Federation, and not only those bordering Ukraine. Such formations could become reliable assistants for the regular army and law enforcement agencies in ensuring the protection of borders, and public order, and in terms of counter-sabotage.
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