Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. (Source: Reuters)

Responding to reporters, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the number of weapons and equipment purchased and modernized for the country's armed forces in 2023 has increased fivefold compared to early 2022.

"This figure in 2023 is five times higher than at the beginning of 2022," said the Russian Defense Minister.

According to Sergei Shoigu, since March 2022, the number of weapons and equipment purchased and modernized, delivered under defense procurement orders, has increased 1.8 times.

"All these efforts began in 2022. In the shortest possible time, defense industry enterprises have tried to step up production of weapons, military equipment and special equipment that are in high demand to fulfill combat tasks and, most importantly, ensure timely supply to the army," the head of the Russian Defense Ministry said.

In another development, the Russian Embassy in the UK stated that London's increase in long-term military aid to Ukraine and calls for NATO countries to increase defense spending to at least 2% of GDP showed that the country seemed to be calling for the militarization of the European continent and escalating Russia-West tensions.

"Together with the UK's roadmap for prolonging the Ukrainian conflict, we draw a clear and extremely worrying conclusion: the British authorities want to militarize Europe, trigger an 'arms race' in the region and lay the foundations for a long-term Russia-West confrontation with serious risks of further escalation," the Russian Embassy in the UK said in a statement.

Russia also argued that, in Western policy, Ukraine appears to serve as a "training ground" for testing "the West's latest lethal weapons."