The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

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

Russian Navy sails for Cuba

Russian warships at U.S. borders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__qs_CAKjUw

Warships from Russia’s Northern Fleet are on their way to Cuba for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union. A unit led by the Destroyer Admiral Chabanenko will moor in Havana on December 19 and stay there for at least four days. According to an aide to Russian Navy commander Captain Igor Dygalo, the visit "will be a significant practical step in strengthening and developing ties between the navies of the two countries”. It is expected the fleet's commanding officers will meet with the head of the Cuban Navy and Havana’s mayor and local residents will be allowed to visit Russian ships. The task force, which includes support the vessels Ivan Bubnov and SB-406, left Nicaragua on Monday. Earlier, the ships took part in joint exercises with Venezuela and visited Panama. The nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great, the submarine-hunting destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and support ships arrived in Venezuela in November for naval exercise dubbed ‘Venrus 2008’ in the Caribbean. The operation was widely seen as Moscow’s response to Washington’s decision to deliver aid to Georgia aboard warships following the country's conflict with Russia in August this year. Soviet ships and planes regularly visited Cuba during the Cold War, but Russian troops have been absent in the region since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/34772

[Armenian]

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

Skinheads Jailed For Race Murders

Seven members of a Russian skinhead gang have been jailed for between six and 20 years for a series of racist murders.

Skinhead gang sentenced for 20 murders:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfnuk_T01PM

Artur Ryno and Pavel Skachevsky, seen as the ringleaders of the group, were given 10-year sentences. They were handed the maximum term the judge could give as they were minors at the time of the crime. One member of the gang, Roman Kuzin, was jailed for 20 years, while four others were given jail sentences of between six and 12 years. The men appeared in court inside a glass-walled box to hear their sentences read out. The group was deliberately set up to target migrants from the former Soviet republics in the Caucasus and Asia, prosecutors said. They were convicted of 20 murders carried out between August 2006 and October 2007 in the Moscow area. The group, who posted video of the crimes on the internet, were also found guilty of 12 attempted murders. During their trial, Ryno and Skachevsky admitted their crimes and claimed they were determined to "cleanse Russian blood". Ryno told investigators: "From my school years I have hated people from the Caucasus who come to Moscow, form ties and start to oppress Russians." Two other people had previously been acquitted in the case.

Source: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Wor...00812315180864

[SweetAngessa]

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

Skinheads Jailed For Race Murders

This is good news but more need to be done. Russia is only strong if it's untied and every ethic group feels at home. These skinshead weaken Russia and disrupt are national unity. Which could lead to these groups being alienated and believing western propaganda like the Chechen once did. They should be severely punished, even public hanging for these traitors. Which would be very effective but send the wrong message to the west.

[Armenian]

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

U.S. "to set up bases" in Central Asia

The U.S. is planning to set up military bases in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, according to Russia's head of the General Staff. He said Washington already has forces in Bulgaria and Romania that can become operational within hours, raising concern in Moscow. Speaking at the Academy of Military Science, General Nikolay Makarov also pointed out that the U.S. is prompting Georgia and Ukraine to join NATO. "In this situation, it is clear that Russia is concerned by the deployment near its borders of NATO's advanced forces and bases ready to start combat operations within hours.” The chief of the General Staff also cited U.S. president-elect Barack Obama who said that “all efforts should be consolidated to monitor democratic reforms in Russia and China." General Makarov added that anyone hoping for policy change after Obama takes office is making a dire mistake. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan - former Soviet republics in Central Asia - are strategically important partners for both Moscow and Washington. The U.S. is strengthening its ties with oil-rich Kazakhstan, which in 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, allowed American planes to fly over its territory during the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. Now that Washington has announced its plans to send 20,000 more troops to the war-ravaged country, the U.S., according to some Russian experts, will need more bases in neighbouring states. The U.S. also had a military base in Uzbekistan which served as a hub for combat and humanitarian missions to Afghanistan until 2005 when the Central Asian state evicted American troops from the airbase. But now Uzbekistan is turning its foreign policy westwards and searching for closer ties with Washington and the EU.

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/34834

Russian carrier-based fighters exercise over Atlantic

A Russian naval group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, en route to the Mediterranean, conducted a series of training flights over the Celtic Sea, a Navy spokesman said on Tuesday. Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said Su-33 ship-based fighters had flown a total of 10 sorties. The naval group left the Northern Fleet base in Severomorsk on December 5 and set course for the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. In addition to the Admiral Kuznetsov, it includes the Admiral Levchenko destroyer and a support ship and will begin a visit to Lisbon on Friday. Following the visit, the task force will pass through the Strait of Gibraltar, visit several ports in the Mediterranean, and exercise jointly with Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Another naval task force from the Northern Fleet, led by the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered cruiser, is currently on a tour of duty in the Caribbean. The Admiral Chabanenko destroyer and two support ships from this task force will visit Cuba on December 19-23. Meanwhile, a task force from Russia's Pacific Fleet, comprising the Admiral Vinogradov, an Udaloy class destroyer, a tugboat, and two tankers, is in the South China Sea heading for the Indian Ocean to take part in the INDRA-2009 joint naval drills with the Indian navy. Russia announced last year that its navy had resumed and would build up a constant presence in different parts of the world's oceans.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081216/118883999.html

Russia to hold more test launches of Bulava ICBM in 2009

Russia will hold several more test launches of the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile next year before a final decision to adopt it for service is made, a senior Navy official said on Tuesday. The latest test of the sea-launched Bulava missile took place on November 28. It was launched from the Dmitry Donskoi Typhoon-class strategic nuclear-powered submarine in the White Sea, effectively engaging its designated target on the Kamchatka Peninsula about 6,700 kilometers (4,200 miles) east of Moscow. The official said the previously announced test launch scheduled for Sunday, also to be made from the Dmitry Donskoi, would not be the last. "Next year, we plan to hold another three or four launches, including from the Yury Dolgoruky nuclear submarine, which may be equipped with this system in the future," the high-ranking member of the Navy's general staff said. He also said the remaining two heavy Akula-class Project 941 (NATO code name Typhoon) nuclear submarines would not be equipped with Bulava missiles, rejecting earlier media reports. "Various options are being considered, but the subs will not carry nuclear weapons anyway. They could be refitted to carry cruise missiles or to lay mines, or could be used in special operations," the official said. Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said earlier this month that Russia would in December hold another test launch of the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile, which has already gone into full-scale production. Russia is planning to adopt new sea-launched Bulava missiles for service with the Navy in 2009. The Bulava (SS-NX-30), carrying up to 10 nuclear warheads and having a range of 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles), is designed for deployment on Borey-class Project 955 nuclear-powered submarines. The first submarine in the series, the Yury Dolgoruky, was built at the Sevmash shipyard in the northern Arkhangelsk Region and is currently undergoing sea trials. The submarine has a length of 170 meters (580 feet), a body diameter of around 13 meters (42 feet), and a submerged speed of about 29 knots.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081216/118881590.html

[yerazhishda]

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

Seven members of a Russian skinhead gang have been jailed for between six and 20 years for a series of racist murders.

Seems like a light sentence; I thought Russia was pretty authoritarian when it came to murder, much like the US.

[Armenian]

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

Seems like a light sentence; I thought Russia was pretty authoritarian when it came to murder, much like the US.

Actually, when it comes to dealing with criminals American laws seem to be much tougher than Russia's. America is one of the last nations in the developed world where criminals are still executed. At face value, the sentence that the Russian Skinheads got does seem a bit light. Western propagandists have been suggesting likewise as well. However, let's realize that the criminals in question were juveniles during the time of their crimes and they were judged as juveniles. There is a factor here that also needs to be mentioned, although they may never openly express it, many in Russia feel a certain sympathy for these individuals because these individuals stood up to people that many Russians perceive as lawless and disrespectful towards Russians. This was one of the symptoms of the many societal ills in Russia that were started in the 1990s. Nonetheless, I am glad that the authorities in Russia are finally addressing this issue. Like Angessa stated, these types of movements, regardless of how nationalistic/patriotic they may seem, only serve to undermine the Russian state.

[Federate]

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

Russia to supply Lebanon with jet fighters, defence minister says

Beirut - Russia has promised to deliver a batch of fighter jets to Lebanon, local media reports said Tuesday. Lebanese radio, quoting Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr who is visiting Moscow, said that Russia had agreed to supply Lebanon with 10 MiG-29 fighters.

Murr was speaking in Moscow after talks with Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.

Russia has sought to expand its influence in the Middle East and hopes to host a Mideast peace conference next year. It is a member of the so-called Mideast Quartet, which also includes the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

The new wave of aid to Lebanon's military, which also has received assistance from the United States this year, is meant to build an armed force that could help stabilize Lebanon, help to fight a rising terrorist threat and provide a legitimate alternative to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon, has refused to disarm, arguing that it is the only force capable of defending the country against Israel.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/246488,russia-to-supply-lebanon-with-jet-fighters-defence-minister-says.html

[Armenian]

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

A military doctrine for every occasion

In 2009, Russia's armed forces will get a new military doctrine meeting present-day realities as defined by national security and foreign policy interests. A military doctrine is a set of principles defining the objectives of military planning, preparations for war, and the ways and means of warfare. These principles depend on the political system, form of government, economic and technological development, and the perception of its authors on what to anticipate from an expected war. The last Soviet doctrine was adopted in 1987 and was defensive in nature. It dropped the term "potential enemy" and confirmed its earlier commitment not to be the first to launch hostilities or use nuclear weapons. Soon after the adoption of this doctrine, the Soviet Union collapsed. Russia, which succeeded it, faced the need to redefine its place in the world and produce a new military doctrine.

In its 1993 doctrine, Russia repeated that it had no potential enemies and undertook not to use military force save for self-defense. Nuclear weapons came to be seen not as a fighting tool but as a political deterrent. Reasonable sufficiency became the principle underlying military potential: it was to be maintained at a level that would meet an existing threat. Further developments, however, forced the military to change some provisions of the doctrine. It was declared, for example, that along with ordinary weapons, nuclear weapons could be used to repulse an act of aggression. According to the doctrine, regional and local wars are today most likely, while a large-scale global war, including a nuclear war, is less probable. The experience of the past years and the expected course of events, however, suggest that although local and regional wars are indeed most probable, new destabilizing factors, such as destruction of nuclear missile parity, have appeared, making the option of a large-scale war more likely. For example, a U.S. missile defense shield, which, with military arsenals being cut, could deliver an unpunished first strike with little or no damage from a retaliatory attack.

It is to be hoped that Russia's new military doctrine, while emphasizing local and regional conflicts, will not loose focus on a large-scale nuclear conflict as probable in the current destabilized setting and include the missile defense system among external threats. In view of these factors, maintaining Russia's nuclear potential and its retaliation capability will be one of the main goals in guaranteeing its military security. To do so, it is necessary to have top-class armed forces able to fight in every environment and engage targets at any distance. Russia should also have a capability for taking part in peacekeeping operations and in local and regional conflicts, whose likelihood is only growing as events of the last few years have shown. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20081217/118900951.html

In related news:

Russian military confirms 13 strategic missile launches for 2009

Russia's Strategic Missile Forces plan 13 training missile launches for next year, the forces commander Col.-Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov said Wednesday. "We have scheduled 13 training launches for 2009. The number could come down a bit," he said. The commander said last month that the forces were planning to conduct at least 13 launches of ballistic missiles next year. "We are planning to carry out 13 launches in 2009: five test launches of new missiles, three launches to confirm the extension of missiles' service lives, and five launches of converted SS-18 Satan ICBMs under the Dnepr program to orbit various satellites," Solovtsov said in November. The Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) conducted seven launches of ballistic missiles in 2008 and postponed two launches until next year. Solovtsov also said in November that the SMF would put into service in 2009 systems equipped with new-generation RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missiles, bearing multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) warheads. Russia carried out a third successful test of the RS-24 on November 26. According to open sources, the total arsenal of Russia's SMF comprises 536 ICBMs, including 306 SS-25 Topol (Sickle) missiles and 54 SS-27 Topol-M (Stalin) missiles.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081217/118904940.html

[Mizzike]

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

Russia to deploy new missiles by 2020: military

MOSCOW (AFP) — Russia will by 2020 replace its Soviet-era arsenal with new nuclear-capable intercontinental missiles that can overcome defence systems like the US missile shield, the military said Wednesday.

"By 2015-2020 the Russian strategic rocket forces will have new complete missile systems with improved combat characteristics," General Nikolai Solovtsov told reporters at a briefing in the Moscow region.

"They will be capable of carrying out any tasks, including in conditions where an enemy uses anti-missile defence measures," said Solovtsov, the overall commander of Russia's missile forces, quoted by Russian news agencies.

Russia is working hard to upgrade its elderly missile forces and has repeatedly tested new missiles in recent months amid the controversy over the missile shield.

"Basically his comments mean almost all Soviet-made or 1990s intercontinental ballistic missiles will be withdrawn and scrapped by 2020," leading Russian defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer told AFP.

"The missile force will be much slimmer than the present one, which is still a leftover from the Cold War and Soviet times," he added.

The refurbishment of the missile forces comes amid Russian fury at the US plan to install missile defence facilities in central Europe, despite US assurances that the system is not directed against Moscow.

Washington plans to put an anti-missile radar facility in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland, both ex-Soviet bloc countries which are now NATO members.

President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have urged US president-elect Barack Obama to drop the system, which was devised by President George W. Bush's administration.

"My assessment is the Russians intend to test the mettle of the new administration and the new president," said John Rood, acting US under secretary of state for arms control and international security.

"And the future will show how the new administration chooses to answer that challenge," he told reporters in Washington, citing both its stance on "missile defence and other subjects".

Despite expressions of optimism from Moscow, Obama has yet to give any details about his intentions.

Meanwhile US Senator Richard Lugar, a veteran in US-Russian arms control efforts, urged both countries to get cracking on replacing a key army treaty that expires in December 2009.

It was vital to make a "running start" in talks to replace the START 1 treaty, which was brokered between Washington and Moscow and led to major reductions in nuclear arsenals, Lugar said at a Moscow forum.

Solovtsov said the Russian rocket forces are "developing and putting new missile systems on combat duty and perfecting their capabilities in line with the threats that are currently apparent".

Russia's missile arsenal still contains Soviet-era war horses like the Stiletto, the Voevoda and the Topol but the military has been seeking to phase in newer weapons.

The military has already started mass production of the Topol-M, a three-stage ballistic missile with a range of 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) which can be deployed on both stationary and mobile launch platforms.

Felgenhauer said that Russia's new intercontinental missile arsenal will essentially be built around the Topol-M.

"It is not clear how many will be deployed but it is clear it will be less than now. Russia will also lose in payload capacity, maybe four or five times," he said.

Generals have said that from December 2009 Russia will deploy its new RS-24, which is similar to the Topol-M but carries a multiple warhead.

In November, it also successfully tested the Bulava, the sea-based equivalent of the Topol-M which is also capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, reaching a target 6,000 kilometres (4,000 miles) away.

Solovtsov denied that the RS-24 violates the START 1 treaty, which he says only bans adding additional warheads to existing missiles or expanding the number of warheads on multiple-warhead weapons.

The refurbishment of the missile forces comes alongside a wider shake-up of the armed forces, which is expected to see a massive reorganisation of structures and personnel cuts to make the military more dynamic.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...RC4w4AwU5h_xFA

[Armenian]

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

The New York Times puts it in clearer terms.

****************************************

Russia, Testing U.S. Sway, Offers Lebanon 10 Warplanes

Lebanon’s defense minister announced in Moscow on Tuesday that Russia had offered to give the country 10 MIG-29 fighter jets that would significantly upgrade its antiquated air force and serve as a slap to the United States. The United States is Lebanon’s main military partner, but American plans to help rebuild the country’s army and air force are moving slowly. And Russia, which is increasingly challenging the United States in regions where American influence has been paramount, has made other gestures toward reasserting itself in the Mediterranean. Lebanon’s military had no official comment on the offer. It is far from clear whether the jets would be delivered. The deal would depend on the Lebanese government’s approval and would have to be discussed with the country’s allies, said a former Lebanese military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing diplomatic sensitivities.

United States officials seemed somewhat taken aback by the announcement, saying they needed to speak with their military counterparts in Russia and Lebanon before they could confirm that Russia had made a formal offer. “This is very early yet,” said Christopher C. Straub, deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East. He said American officials had no plans to offer a fighter jet to Lebanon to try to counter the Russian offer. That offer raised the possibility, however unlikely, of a striking change in direction for the Lebanese military. Defense Minister Elias Murr said Tuesday that the unexpected offer made his trip to Moscow “the most important visit I have made since my appointment as minister of defense,” according to Lebanon’s state-owned Central News Agency. He also referred to “promises we heard in the past about equipping the army with weapons,” some of which turned out to be “only promises,” The Daily Star, a Beirut newspaper, reported.

Those comments seemed to convey frustration with recent United States pledges to step up military aid to Lebanon after Syria withdrew in 2005. Some aid has been delivered, but at a slow pace, and it is not clear whether more substantial items, like combat helicopters, will arrive. Israeli leaders have expressed concern about some of the more powerful weapons being considered for Lebanon, fearing they could be used against their country. All this has led some Lebanese officials to question the American commitment. The American aid is meant to build an armed force to help stabilize Lebanon and provide a legitimate alternative to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Lebanon has a longstanding military relationship with the United States, where its officer corps has been trained. American officials have sometimes intervened when other countries offered to supply weapons. Lebanon’s air force consists of only a few 1950s-era jets and a small number of Vietnam War-era helicopters.

The MIG-29, often compared to the American F-16 fighter, is vastly more powerful than anything the United States was considering providing to Lebanon. The most recent Pentagon offer, in terms of air power, is a Cessna Caravan, a single-engine prop plane. The Cessna would allow Lebanon to strike a domestic terrorist target, Mr. Straub said. But it would be no threat to Israeli forces; it could easily be shot down. The MIG-29 has the potential to be a threat, given its speed, maneuverability and ability to carry advanced weapons.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/wo...html?ref=world

Russia to supply Lebanon with jet fighters, defence minister says

Beirut - Russia has promised to deliver a batch of fighter jets to Lebanon, local media reports said Tuesday. Lebanese radio, quoting Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr who is visiting Moscow, said that Russia had agreed to supply Lebanon with 10 MiG-29 fighters. Murr was speaking in Moscow after talks with Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. Russia has sought to expand its influence in the Middle East and hopes to host a Mideast peace conference next year. It is a member of the so-called Mideast Quartet, which also includes the United States, the European Union and the United Nations. The new wave of aid to Lebanon's military, which also has received assistance from the United States this year, is meant to build an armed force that could help stabilize Lebanon, help to fight a rising terrorist threat and provide a legitimate alternative to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon, has refused to disarm, arguing that it is the only force capable of defending the country against Israel.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...ster-says.html