The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Vladimir Putin's lasting legacy: the modernization and reorganization of Russia's armed services, the recommencement of Russia's strategic air patrols and supplying enemies of the US with modern arms.

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New Russian nuclear submarine to go to sea this year

Russia will put its first Borey-class strategic nuclear submarine through sea trials in the second half of 2008, the Russian Navy commander said on Friday. The fourth generation Yury Dolgoruky was built at the Sevmash plant in the northern Arkhangelsk Region and was taken out of dry dock last April. It will be equipped with Bulava ballistic missiles upgraded from Topol-M (SS-27) missiles. "The Yury Dolgoruky will go to sea in July. If not in July, then in October or November," Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said. The submarine has a length of 170 meters (580 feet), a body diameter around 13 meters (42 feet), and a submerged speed of about 29 knots. It can carry up to 16 ballistic missiles. Two other Borey-class nuclear submarines, the Alexander Nevsky and the Vladimir Monomakh, are currently under construction at the Sevmash plant. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that fourth-generation submarines armed with Bulava missiles would form the core of Russia's fleet of modern submarines.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080404/103757811.html

Russia to finance Venezuelan submarine deal - paper

Venezuela is in talks with Moscow for a loan of about $800 million to partially finance the purchase of four Kilo-class Project 636 diesel submarines, Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Friday. The terms of the deal, estimated at $1 billion, were negotiated late last year, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is expected to sign a contract for the submarines during his visit to Moscow to attend the inauguration of Russian president-elect Dmitry Medvedev on May 7. Kommersant reported that Dmitry Pankin, a deputy finance minister, had confirmed the loan deal, although he did not disclose any details, but a Venezuelan diplomatic source earlier said the loan would be provided by Russia's Vneshekonombank. The submarines will be built at the Admiralty Wharfs in St. Petersburg and the Amur Shipbuilding Plant in Russia's Far East. The Project 636 submarine is designed for anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface-ship warfare, and also for general reconnaissance and patrol missions. It is considered to be one of the quietest diesel submarines in the world. Kommersant also said negotiations were underway on the purchase of 12 Il-76 Candid military transport aircraft for the Venezuelan Air Force. With the addition of the aircraft contract, the price of the whole deal may reach $1.5 billion. Some Russian experts believe that the loan may be a risky undertaking for Moscow. Despite a steady inflow of revenues from oil sales, Venezuela does not enjoy complete political stability, and President Chavez, known for his fiery anti-U.S. stance, has strong opposition in the country. Officials at Venezuela's Moscow embassy declined to comment on the loan deal. "We cannot either confirm, or deny this information," Venezuelan Ambassador Alexis Rafael Navarro Rojas told RIA Novosti. Venezuela is Russia's fourth largest arms client after China, India and Algeria.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080404/103471739.html

Russia to Create 5-6 Air Carrier Groups

Russia will have six or five groups of air carriers, the RF Navy Commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky announced, Interfax reported. “We plan to have five or six air carrier groups overall,” Admiral Vysotsky announced during the news conference Friday. The research is underway to determine the layout of perspective air carrier of Russia, the admiral specified. As to the new weapons, test operations of Bulava-M ballistic missile will be completed in 2008. “The missile will fly and it will fly already this year,” Vysotsky vowed. Past year’s failures were caused by the technical problems, which could be tackled, the officer explained.

Source: http://www.kommersant.com/p-12304/Air_carrier_Bulava/

Russia’s Troops to Go Dn to 1m by 2016

The strength of the RF troops will be reduced to a million by 2016, said Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. Armed Forces are to equal a million servicemen by that time,” Serdyukov said in the interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda that was published Thursday. The acceptable strength of the central staff is known as well. “The limit of 10,523 has been determined,” the minister said. There are too many officers in Russia's Army, Serdyukov pointed out. “In our Army, over 30 percent are officers. It is an evident warp. The indicator is from 7.5 percent to 15 percent in the armies of leading nations,” the minister specified.

Source: http://www.kommersant.com/p-12289/r_...ops_reduction/

Russia to fly 20-30 strategic patrol missions every month

Russia is set to drastically increase its number of strategic aviation patrol flights over the world's oceans to 20-30 a month, the Air Force commander said on Friday. "We will be making 20-30 flights a month, not two or three, as was the case until recently," Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said. He said that during their patrol missions Russian aircraft are accompanied by NATO F-15, F-16 and F-22 fighters, adding that the military alliance's planes do not always comply with international rules. "They behave tactlessly, to put it mildly - they approach too close [in breach of international regulations]," the commander said. Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by President Vladimir Putin. The move has been widely seen by the West is a sign of Russia's increasingly aggressive military stance. Russian bombers have since carried out over 70 strategic patrol flights. The Air Force command earlier said that all flights by Russian aircraft were performed by skilled pilots in strict compliance with international laws on the use of air space over neutral waters, without violating the borders of other states.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080404/103759263.html

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

One of the 20th century's greatest statesmen comments on US-Russian relations.

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Fidel Castro weighs in on U.S.-Russia missile shield debate

Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro said U.S. plans for a global anti-missile shield were a menace to Russia, and advised Moscow to seek its main allies in Asia. The U.S. is developing a global missile defense system which it claims is needed to counter possible strikes from rogue states such as Iran. The system's components are located in Alaska and California with preparations underway for a third site in Central Europe - Poland and the Czech Republic. "Why should the United States have its space ports, radars and launch pads in Europe if not to threaten Russia?" Castro said in an interview with Cuban daily Granma. Russia is opposed to the U.S. plans, calling them a threat to national security and a destabilizing factor for Europe. Castro said the U.S. military plans were also threatening "China and all other countries without exception, to turn them into allies or enemies of an empire with an unsustainable economic and political system." He said that although Europe is a cultural and scientific center and the main consumer of Russian oil and gas, Moscow should be oriented towards Asia, whose international trade institutions via the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are more eager to cooperate with Moscow than the World Trade Organization, in which Russia is seeking membership.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20080408/104036898.html

[Angessa]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Angessa, it is generally understood that the Russian FSB conducted the bombings of 1999 to use it as a pretext to invade Chechnya and finally put to an end the terrorist occupation there. This is similar to what occurred in the US in September 11, 2001: the US needed a major pretext to invade Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Syria. The 'perception' that the FSB conducted the bombings in Russia was primarily due to statements Litvinenko made before he was assassinated couple of years ago. The perception that the FSB conducted the operation, however, does make sense especially once you place it within a greater geopolitical context and Moscow's geostrategic interests, which it began to openly pursue as soon as Yeltsin's power declined. The Beslan school tragedy, however, seemed more like an operation at the time to 'show' Putin who was still in power in Russia. Don't forget Russia had two tragedies as soon as Vladimir Putin - the nationalist feared by the West - came into power and began to clean house; the first one was the Kursk submarine incident which many people, including those in the West, blame it on the US navy and the second one was Beslan. I personally think the bombings in 1999 were operations carried out by the Russian FSB. As a result of the bombings, Russia, which had made peace with the occupied territories of Chechnya under Yeltsin, re-invaded the area and finally put to an end the Chechen secession there. The Beslan and the Kursk incidents were, in my opinion, attempts by western secret services to bring Putin and the Russian nationalists to their knees because Putin had started to strongly pursue Russia's national interests independent of the West.

Well i was young during the first bombings of 1999 and did not have television than. So i do not know much about the events when it happen. We lived near border of Chechnya area thought. We Kuban cossacks were friends with most Chechen people and we dressed almost the same. But than those horrible radicals came and changed everything, killing Muslims who would not convert and other people like us. I remember my village aways had a guards posted all around and at the old tower village. We could not go out and play from the village anymore becuase of the kidnapping and bombing. Most men where fighting in the war in militias It was not very good time first we escaped the xxxs trying to send us to gulag than this.
I heard many rurmurs of what happen with the Kursks submarine by soldiers and Mescovic.

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

The Heritage Foundation, a major and influential Neocon establishment in the US, had a conference in Washington DC discussing the Russian military. They more-or-less came to the conclusion that the Russian Federation will not be a military threat for the West. Regardless of their conclusions and assessments, elements of this convention is somewhat of a candid look inside the foreign policy making apparatus of the US government. Is the Heritage Foundation's conclusions regarding Russia a smoke screen, telling their constituents not to worry about a resurgent Russia or a honest serious assessment of Russian capabilities, essentially an underestimation? If the assessments reached by the "experts" at the Heritage Foundations proves to be a underestimations of Russian political and military capabilities, then the recent aggressiveness and recklessness of the West in their dealings with Russia becomes much clearer.

Armenian

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Russian Army Fails to Impress Americans

American experts doubt the effectiveness of the Russian military reform Yesterday an influential brain trust Heritage, Washington D.C. hosted a conference on the reform of the Russian armed forces. It took the participants two hours to unanimously acknowledge that there was no revival of Russia’s military might to be observed, and there was hardly any hope for Russia to create a modern and effective army by 2020. A former high-ranking CSI member told Ъ that “Russians won’t be able to make their army modern and effective until their government becomes modern and effective.” Ъ’s special correspondent Dmitry Sidorov reports from Washington, D.C.

The participants of the conference in the Heritage foundation helped the Director of National Intelligence, John Michael McConnell define how high Russia’s military threat is, taking account of the increase in investments in defense and the reform of the armed forces on the part of the Russian government. In February, 2005 Mr McConnell featured this issue in his annual report on evaluating threats to the USA. In the document presented to the Senate he argued that “Russia’s military officials have set to the restoration of the armed forces after a long and deep crisis, which started before the collapse of the Soviet Union.” Nevertheless the U.S. Naval Military College Professor Mikhail Tsypkin, the National Defence Professor of the Strategic Research Institute Stephen Blanc, the National Defense University Professor Eugene Rumer and Russian military analyst Alexander Golts stated with minor reservations that the reform of the Russian military forces was bound to fail.

The conference though began with an alarmist speech on Russia’s military threat by the Heritage Vice-President Kim Holmes, who served under Colin Powell as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs till 2005. He declared that Russia was no partner of the United Sates and criticised the Bush administration for their “sentimental conclusions” regarding Russia. Mr Holmes went on, “Russia’s spending on its armed forces is more than we know, whereas democratic reforms have been rolled back in the country.”

The Heritage Vice-President underscored a boost in public spending on the construction of strategic bombers and allocating definite sums of money for military exercises. Kim Holmes didn’t mention any specific exercises, but according to the source of Ъ in the White House, “There were large-scale military manoeuvres in the North-Caucasian and Leningrad military districts in 2007, with the Federal Security Service taking part. During the manoeuvres invading Estonia and Georgia was tested.”

In spite of the fact that the experts rendered the reform of Russia’s armed forces a myth, rather than reality, practically everybody agreed with the conclusion that the current state of the Russian army is far better than it was in the 1990s. “Compared with the situation 10–15 years ago, one can state that it has changed for the better,” said Eugene Rumer, stressing at the same time that the money invested in the reform of the armed forces was used to pay salaries to the military mainly, rather than to purchase modern arms and weaponry. Mr Rumer noted that “Considerable funds are allocated for particular departments, for example the Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) and the Military Space Forces (VKS), whereas the financing of the Navy, Army and Air Forces remains at the same level.”

Stephen Blanc was the one to be most sceptical of Russia’s military might, proclaiming that the Russian armed forces were in a crisis. “It has lasted for 70 years at least,” Mr Blanc said. Professor drew attention to the fact that Russia’s military-industrial complex was unable to produce high-technology equipment and recalled the test of GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), the “Bulava” (mace) missile and some of the air defense systems.

Concerning the export of Russian weaponry, Stephen Blanc pointed to the fact that “Russia is competitive in those regions where the West has no trade links.” He reminded of Algeria’s return of the MiG-29 fighters to Russia and the problem with the price and delivery date of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft-carrier to India. “Russia may lose a part of the Indian arms market, which accounts for 25% of the overall Russian military export.”

Russia’s military doctrine was also excoriated by the experts. “It feels like Russia is surrounded by enemies only. They might believe millions of people from Roumania and Bulgaria to approach Russia’ borders,” Stephen Blanc said. He means that “Russia’s opposing the integration of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) into the EU is the evidence of the Russian neo-imperial policy.” “Russia wishes it were gendarme of the CIS, just like in the times of Nicholas I,” Mr Blanc added.

Fritz Ermart, a former high-ranking CSI member, also present at the conference, summed it up for Ъ. He said, “In the long run, the world will need a Russia with modern armed forces, because its friendly relations with China and the weakness of Southern Asia can vanish.” He then added, “Russians won’t be able to create modern and effective armed forces until their government becomes modern and effective.”

Source: http://www.kommersant.com/p878513/Co...ld_in_America/

[Armanen]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

It's a bs smokescreen in order to make the sheeple, and more importantly, moronic american politicians think that the u.s. still has a huge lead on Russia, which is just not true anymore. The fact that Russia doesn't have as many commitments as the u.s., along with the impressive new weapons that have been tested by Russia point to a resurgence of Russian power, and the downhill slide of american hegemony. They should spend more time discussing how their "great" military leaders, along with politicians, blundered the iraq war.

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Russia could claim Crimea if Ukraine joins NATO - MP

A senior member of the Russian lower house of parliament said on Wednesday that Russia could claim the Crimea if Ukraine was admitted to NATO. NATO decided at its recent summit in Romania not to offer Ukraine and Georgia the chance to join a program that would have put them on the track to join the military alliance, but promised that the decision would be reviewed in December. The ex-Soviet republics had received strong U.S. backing for their bids. "If Ukraine's admission to NATO is accelerated, Russia could raise the question of which country the Crimea should be a part of," Alexei Ostrovsky, the head of the State Duma committee on CIS affairs, said in a radio interview. "The Russian Federation has legal grounds to revise agreements signed under Khrushchev."

Former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who grew up in Ukraine, made the Crimean Peninsula - a territory of 26,100 sq km washed by the Black and Azov seas - part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954. The peninsula had formerly been a part of the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Crimea, now an autonomous region within Ukraine, is a predominantly Russian-speaking territory. Since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, the Crimea has unsuccessfully sought independence from Ukraine. A 1994 referendum in the Crimea supported demands for a broader autonomy and closer links with Russia. The Russian Black Sea Fleet retains a Soviet-era base in Sevastopol in the Crimea. Disputes between Russia and Ukraine over the lease of the base are frequent.

However, Ostrovsky admitted that Ukraine was unlikely to join NATO any time soon, saying that the Ukrainian president, prime minister and parliamentary speaker were the only people in the country seeking membership of the Western military alliance. His comments referred to recent opinion polls that have indicated that about 70% of the population is opposed to joining NATO. NATO's ongoing expansion, as well as Washington's missile plans for Europe and an ongoing dispute over the recognition of Kosovo by the U.S and the majority of EU states have plunged Moscow's relations with the West to a post-Cold War low.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080409/104227945.html

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

U.S. missile shield plans due to Russia's increasing influence

U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in Central Europe were caused by Russia's increasing global power, the chief of the Russian General Staff said Thursday. Russia has "straightened in the good sense of the word its economic, social and military shoulders," Army General Yury Baluyevsky said. "And someone does not like it, that's why the strategic stability we established 15 years ago in Europe has suddenly been destroyed." The U.S. is planning to modify its X-band radar on the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific and relocate it to the Czech Republic as part of its proposed European missile shield, which will also include deploying 10 interceptor missiles in Poland. The missile defense plans have been fiercely opposed by Russia, which views them as a direct threat to its national security, and have contributed to bringing Washington-Moscow relations to their lowest point since the Cold War.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080410/104784583.html

[skhara]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

“Russians won’t be able to create modern and effective armed forces until their government becomes modern and effective.”

This is an analysis of an expert? Are we to honestly believe that this is some kind of honest, unbiased, and accurate analysis. Possibly, western "recklessness" is more due to a fear of Russia and a desire to grab as much as possible before a state as powerful as the USSR comes about.

What does that comment even mean? Would this idiot have considered the Soviet government as "modern" and "effective"? Now which American general would fearlessly take on the army and navy of the Soviet Union in 1971?

[Lernakan]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Gazprom offers post to Armenian ex-president - report

YEREVAN (Thomson Financial) - Armenia's ex-president Robert Kocharian, who left office this week, has been offered a post as vice-president of Russian gas giant Gazprom, the Aravot daily newspaper reported Friday.
The offer by Gazprom, which controls strategic Armenian pipelines, 'has not yet received a response and is still hanging in the air,' the newspaper wrote, citing a report from the PanArmenian Network news service quoting Russian sources.
Kocharian was replaced on Wednesday at the end of two five-year terms by his prime minister, Serzh Sarkisian, after controversial polls marred by violence and vote-rigging allegations.
Speculation has mounted about Kocharian's plans after the 53-year-old told reporters in December he had no plans to be 'Armenia's youngest pensioner.'
Ex-Soviet Armenia and Russia maintained strong ties during Kocharian's tenure.

With the Armenian government, Gazprom jointly owns ArmRosGazprom, which controls natural gas pipelines feeding Russian gas to Armenia and owns the Armenian section of a pipeline feeding Iranian gas to the country.

In January, Gazprom's banking arm, Gazprombank, bought 80 percent of Areximbank, one of Armenia's largest retail banks.

http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/04/11/afx4879088.html

[Angessa]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

It's a bs smokescreen in order to make the sheeple, and more importantly, moronic american politicians think that the u.s. still has a huge lead on Russia, which is just not true anymore. The fact that Russia doesn't have as many commitments as the u.s., along with the impressive new weapons that have been tested by Russia point to a resurgence of Russian power, and the downhill slide of american hegemony. They should spend more time discussing how their "great" military leaders, along with politicians, blundered the iraq war.

President Putin heavily invested into Nanotechnology company called Rosnanotech. This is the most important field to research since the next arms race will be based in it. Are militery technology will be come from Nanotechnology
“Russia’s economic potential has been restored, the possibilities for major scientific research are opening up,” Putin said. “The concentration of our resources should stimulate the development of new technologies in our country. This will be key also from the point of view of the creation the newest, modern and supereffective weapons systems.”

“Our resources should be concentrated on stimulating the development of new technology,” Putin said during a visit to the Soviet-era Kurchatov nuclear research center. “This could be the key to developing new, modern and effective military systems. Nanotechnology is an activity for which this government will not spare money.”