General Vladimir Shamanov, the commander of Russia’s airborne troops, says there are more than 10 battalions currently prepared for “immediate combat missions both on Russian soil and abroad.” Shamanov says his troops are ready to confront immediately “a military threat from any direction.”

On June 18 in Poland, NATO began new training exercises for its rapid reaction force. Roughly 2,000 soldiers are taking part in the maneuvers. According to a plan adopted at a summit last November, NATO’s European response force might increase to 30,000 troops—more than double its current 13,000.

On May 18, 2015, Vladimir Putin issued an executive order classifying information about the deaths of military servicemen “during peacetime when carrying out special operations.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said President Putin will use whatever constitutional powers are necessary to defend Russian national security, including the right to appeal to the Senate for permission to deploy troops abroad.