The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

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

I don't like this term one bit.

Sorry, I agree. Western Armenia: http://forum.armenianclub.com/showthread.php?t=7562

[Armenian]

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

And in sports news...

At least 5 English fans injured in fighting ahead of Russia-England match



At least five English soccer fans were injured Wednesday in fighting ahead of Russia's European Championship match with England, a British Embassy spokesman said. About 4,500 English fans traveled to the Russian capital for the Group E match. The five British citizens were hospitalized with minor injuries in two separate incidents in the past 24 hours, embassy spokesman James Barbour said. There were no reports of arrests, he said.

The Interfax news agency said two fans were attacked, apparently by Russians. Interfax also reported that a group of Russians dressed in black attacked English soccer fans at a bar in central Moscow. And Ekho Moskvy radio reported that 20 Russians barged into a bar in another part of the city and attacked foreigners. Several British citizens were injured, the report said.

In recommendations posted on its Web site, the British Embassy advised English fans to "be as inconspicuous as possible," "be sober" and "leave the vicinity of the stadium as quickly as possible after the final whistle."

Riot police and water cannon trucks were deployed for the sold-out game at Luzhniki stadium. Nearly 100 English fans joined British Ambassador Tony Brenton in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the walls of the Kremlin. The fans left a St. George flag made from flowers along with a card noting the Russian sacrifices in World War II.

"You will find that a lot of English fans have a lot of respect for the countries they play in," one fan, Lisa O'Brian, told AP Television News. "They come out and they want to acknowledge the fact that a lot of people around the world fought alongside at world wars. So England fans are not that bad as people seem to think they are."

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/...n-Violence.php

[Armenian]

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

Cossack atamans of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus to visit Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh



The 225th birthday of general lieutenant Valerian Madatov, the hero of the [1812] patriotic war and Russia’s wars with Turkey and Persia, will be marked October 26-30 in Armenia. The sittings of permanent coordinating council of Cossacks of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the international council of Cossack atamans will be held in Yerevan as well. An agreement on assistance and cooperation between Cossack organizations of Armenia, Karabakh, Russia, Ukraine, Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Crimea will be signed. Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia, reports that the delegation will meet with representatives of public, military and youth organizations of Armenia and NKR. 18 members of RA government, RA and NKR Defense Ministries will be honored with medals.

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=23729

[Armenian]

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

Olmert to make surprise visit to Russia



Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will leave Thursday for a one-day visit to Moscow, where he is set to meet with Russian President Valdimir Putin, who returned from a visit to Tehran on Wednesday. The surprise visit was announced Wednesday afternoon, and reporters will not be allowed to join the trip. Putin met Wednesday with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to senior officials in Tehran, the Russian president suggested that the Iranian halt all uranium enrichment activities in return for a removal of the sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic. Putin returned from Tehran on Wednesday where he attended the Caspian Sea summit. During his visit, the Russian president said that Iran had a right to develop nuclear technology for civil purposes, a stance which Israel, the United States and several European countries do not accept, as they believe Tehran is working to develop a nuclear weapon. Olmert spoke to Putin last week, and apart from the Iranian issue, he and the Russian president may also discuss issues in dispute between Israel and the Palestinians ahead of the Annapolis peace conference. Olmert spoke to Putin last week, and apart from the Iranian issue, he and the Russian president may also discuss issues in dispute between Israel and the Palestinians ahead of the Annapolis peace conference. The prime minister views Moscow's support in the diplomatic process between him and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as extremely important. He is scheduled to brief the Russian president on the negotiations between the two sides' delegations, and on US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the Middle East, scheduled to end on Thursday. On Sunday, Olmert is scheduled to travel to Paris for a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. On Tuesday he will travel to London for a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...461031,00.html

[Armenian]

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

Energy-rich Caspian becomes center of U.S.-Russia power struggle



Is the Caspian a sea or a lake?

The answer has immense repercussions for the energy industry. If it is a lake, there are no obligations by countries that flank it to grant permits to foreign vessels or drilling companies. But if it is sea, there are international treaties obliging those countries to an array of permits. The Caspian, one of the world's largest enclosed bodies of water, has become the center of a new power game involving the United States and Russia as well as its bordering countries, including Iran, over who should control the vast energy reserves under its depths.

The Caspian's status has been in dispute since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Over the past few years, the United States has been trying to establish alternative energy routes that would weaken the regional dominance of Russia and Iran, while Russia has sought to control the transportation routes across these waters.

When Vice President xxxx Cheney visited Kazakhstan last year, he used the occasion to launch a fierce attack against President Vladimir Putin of Russia, accusing him of rolling back democracy and suppressing human rights. By delivering the speech in Kazakhstan, the Bush administration was staking out U.S. influence in the region, where it has stepped up plans to build a pipeline that would bypass Iran and Russia.

On Tuesday, it was Putin's turn to put down his marker. On the first visit in 64 years by a Kremlin leader to Tehran, he met his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose country faces a fresh round of sanctions by the United Nations if it does not comply with Security Council demands for reining in its nuclear program. But while the standoff between Iran and the United Nations stole the limelight, the reason for Putin's visit was a summit meeting with Ahmadinejad and three Central Asian leaders who are now being wooed in the Caspian power game.

"The summit in Tehran was about the future status of the Caspian Sea," said Johannes Reissner, Middle East expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin. "Iran and Russia have enormous interests in resolving this status. But there are major disagreements between them."

In addition to Iran and Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan also have Caspian coastlines. And while all of them want a large stake in the oil reserves, and to use of the sea for transportation, none of them have been able to agree on the status of the coveted waters. Russia and Iran, historically, have agreed that the sea was a lake and that it should be shared equally between the two of them.

That all changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Iran and Russia wanted earlier agreements, signed in 1921 and in 1940, to continue. Moscow had obtained consent from the newly independent republics of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan that they would be bound by any agreements signed by the Soviet Union, of which they had been a part.

But in 1998, Azerbaijan declared that since the Caspian was an international lake, it should be recognized as such. In practice, this would mean that the surface and seabed would be divided into five sectors determined by the length of each country's shoreline. Under such a scenario, Russia would lose out, and Iran even more so.

Iran opposed this plan, since its share of the waters would be reduced to under 14 percent from about 20 percent, according to experts. As soon as Putin was elected president in 1998, he tried to break the deadlock to speed up energy links between Russia and the Central Asian countries and to pre-empt U.S. advances into the region. Energy analysts said that Putin, seeing that the United States and other Western energy companies were eager to forge energy exploration contracts with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan and to influence the Caspian negotiations, tried to find compromises among all the coastal states.

But attempts to determine the status of the Caspian have often proved hazardous. In 2001, Iran deployed a warship and fighter jets as a warning to Azerbaijan, which had sent vessels to explore for oil for British Petroleum along the southern Caspian oilfields. Azerbaijan, which depends on Russia for energy transit routes, had agreed to forge a separate deal with Putin in which those two nations divided a part of the seabed. A similar deal was struck with Kazakhstan. In both cases, Iran was excluded from the negotiations.

"Over the past few years, Iran has felt increasingly isolated," said a European diplomat who requested anonymity because he was involved in the region. "It sees what Russia is doing. It is being excluded from the big decisions being made in the region."

Russia has not managed to keep the United States out of its traditional sphere of influence. In 2005, the United States supported the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which allows oil to be transported across Georgia and Turkey, bypassing Iran and Russia. The United States, too, is actively supporting the trans-Caspian pipeline, through which Turkmenistan would send natural gas under the Caspian to Azerbaijan and then on to Europe. According to EU diplomats, the U.S. would like to weaken Europe's dependence on Russia, and at the same time isolate Iran.

Vladimir Milov, director of the Institute of Energy Policy in Moscow, said he was skeptical about a pipeline under the Caspian. "The perspectives for a trans-Caspian pipeline, putting aside the U.S. optimism, appear bleak due to unresolved Caspian seabed division disputes," he said last month. As if to confirm this, the Caspian summit produced no breakthrough. IRNA, the official Iranian press agency, said the five leaders agreed to form an economic cooperation organization. They are to meet next year in Azerbaijan, leaving open for the moment the viability of a trans-Caspian pipeline and the Nabucco project but confirming Russia's influence in the region.

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/...ss/caspian.php

[Armenian]

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

Gazprom Goes to Iran For Talks



Gazprom held talks in Iran on Wednesday on expanding in the region, one day after President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the country. Deputy chief executive Valery Golubev is in negotiations with energy officials from Iran and Armenia on joint projects, Abubakir Shamuzov, head of Gazprom's Tehran office, said Wednesday. Russia is seeking to expand its control of pipeline networks outside its borders. Moscow, via Gazprom, has used a combination of threats and incentives to increase its influence in neighboring markets. Gazprom agreed last year not to raise prices for Armenia until the end of 2008. The price, $110 per 1,000 cubic meters, is less than half what Gazprom charges customers in Western Europe. In return, Gazprom's Armenian venture, ArmRosgazprom, will acquire a gas pipeline to Iran and the new generating block of a thermal power plant, Gazprom said at the time. Armenia also agreed to let the Gazprom venture oversee building a second, 197-kilometer pipeline to Iran. Armenia currently receives almost all its gas by pipeline from Russia across Georgia. Gazprom Neft, Gazprom's oil arm, has said it is considering building an oil refinery in Armenia. Also Wednesday, RIA-Novosti reported that Putin invited his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for talks in Moscow. No date was set for the meeting, the agency said.

Source: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/storie...10/18/043.html

[Armenian]

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

Just listen to this moron talk. Honestly, just how mentally retarded is the population in the United States? Who in their right minds would take this dangerous clown seriously? Oh, I forgot: At least half of the population in the United States actually think they are making the world a better place by turning the Middle East upside down. Incidentally, are there any Armenians on this discussion board that believes the pure bullkaka flowing out of Washington DC? Are there any Armenians here that believe any of it? Just curious. Iran has never said it is going to destroy Israel. There is no evidence that Iran is producing nuclear weapons. Iran knows that Israel possess several hundred nuclear warheads and that Israel could incinerate Iran if it had to. Nonetheless, even if Tehran wanted to destroy Israel, and God knows there are ample reasons to want to, why should Americans waste thousands of more American lives and trillions of more American Dollars in defense of a nation of parasites? If Israel truly feels threatened, I think Israel is militarily strong enough to stand up to Iran without US support.

And read this brilliant comment by Bush:

"At a White House news conference, Bush expressed hope Putin would brief him on his talks in Tehran..."

Armenian

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Bush: Threat of World War III if Iran goes nuclear



U.S. President George W. Bush warned on Wednesday a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to World War III as he tried to shore up international opposition to Tehran amid Russian skepticism over its nuclear ambitions. Bush was speaking a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has resisted Western pressure to toughen his stance over Iran's nuclear program, made clear on a visit to Tehran that Russia would not accept any military action against Iran. At a White House news conference, Bush expressed hope Putin would brief him on his talks in Tehran and said he would ask him to clarify recent remarks on Iran's nuclear activities. Putin said last week that Russia, which is building Iran's first atomic power plant, would "proceed from the position" that Tehran had no plans to develop nuclear weapons but he shared international concerns that its nuclear programs "should be as transparent as possible."

"The thing I'm interested in is whether or not he continues to harbor the same concerns that I do," Bush said. "When we were in Australia (in September), he reconfirmed to me that he recognizes it's not in the world's interest for Iran to have the capacity to make a nuclear weapon."

Bush, who has insisted he wants a diplomatic solution to the Iranian issue, is pushing for a third round of U.N. sanctions against Iran. Russia, a veto-holding member of the Security Council, backed two sets of limited U.N. sanctions against Iran but has resisted any tough new measures. Stepping up his rhetoric, Bush said a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a "dangerous threat to world peace."

"We've got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel," he said. "So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."

PUTIN'S "SPECIAL MESSAGE"

Iran rejects accusations it is seeking to develop a nuclear bomb, saying it wants nuclear technology for peaceful civilian purposes such as power generation, and has refused to heed U.N. Security Council demands to halt sensitive uranium enrichment. Chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was quoted by Iran's official IRNA news agency on Wednesday as saying that Putin had delivered a "special message" on its atomic program and other issues. No other details were given. Putin's visit on Tuesday was watched closely because of Moscow's possible leverage in the Islamic Republic's nuclear standoff with the West. It was the first time a Kremlin chief went to Iran since Josef Stalin in 1943. Asked about Putin's "special message," U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said he was not aware of any deal or offer put forward by Moscow to Tehran over the nuclear program. On Russian opposition to Caspian Sea states being used to launch attacks against Iran, Casey reiterated that Bush kept all his options on the table but that the United States was committed to the diplomatic path with Tehran.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071017/ts_nm/iran_bush_dc

[skhara]

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

I see you found a new picture. Its a nice picture.

[Azad]

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

"Bush warns world of WWIII over Iran

Mr Bush intervened hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin made a new proposal to end the nuclear crisis as he met Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for landmark talks in Tehran.

"We've got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel,'' Mr Bush said.

"So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.''

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22607218-5006003,00.html?from=public_rss

Funny this is the red neck that is so worried about joos POTENTIAL threat and yet the Christians that GOT DESTROYED can not have an acknowledgment in order not to upset a Genocidal turkey that MIGHT get upset at joos. The world is rotating around joos.

[Armenian]

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

Today there was a large number of press releases coming out of Russia. Moscow's political stance is hardening and its relations with the West, in particular with Britain and the United States, is becoming more and more strenuous. The following is one of the quotes Vladimir Putin made to the Russian press upon his return from his historic visit to Iran that caught my attention:

“Russia, thank God, isn't Iraq. It has enough strength and power to defend itself and its interests, both on its territory and in other parts of the world.”

Putin's comments are a clear attack against the United States and a warning that the Russian Federation will no longer allow the West to interfere in Russian affairs domestic or foreign. And, as expected, official reactions by members of Bush's administration have been quite silly.

Armenian

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Putin says Russia to get new nuclear weapons



Vladimir Putin boasted of developing new nuclear weapons to strengthen Russia’s military power today and warned the United States not to ignore Moscow's objections to a planned missile defence shield in Europe. President Putin pledged to counter the shield unless the US and Europe took account of Russia's concerns. He also called on the US to set a date for withdrawal of troops from Iraq, adding that the 2003 invasion had been an attempt to secure control of its oil reserves. In a live televised question-and-answer programme with members of the public, Mr Putin made clear that he was determined to restore Russia’s military prestige by using the vast income from its own oil and gas resources. He said that Russia had a “grandiose” plan to strengthen the armed forces after years of decline following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"We will develop missile technology including completely new strategic (nuclear) complexes, completely new. Work is continuing and continuing successfully," Mr Putin said. He gave no details about the new nuclear weapon, but went on: "We have plans that are not only big, but grandiose, and they are fully realistic. Our armed forces will be more compact but more effective and better ensure Russia defence.”

The broadcast included footage of Russia’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile, the Topol-M, being test-fired from the Plesetsk space centre in northern Russia. State television claimed that it had hit a target thousands of miles away in the Pacific.

"We serve our fatherland!" shouted a group of officers who had fired the missile after Mr Putin congratulated them on the achievement. The president promised to introduce more new missiles, bomber aircraft and submarines over the next few years to bolster what he called the “nuclear triad” of Russia’s military capabilities. "We will pay attention not only to developing the nuclear triad but other weapons as well. I hope that by 2012-15 we will see a new generation of jet fighters completed and sent into active duty,” he said.

Mr Putin said that Russia would modernise its fleet of Bear strategic nuclear bombers, which he ordered to resume round-the-clock patrols in August for the first time since the end of the Cold War. Britain and other Nato countries have scrambled jet fighters repeatedly in recent months to shadow the bombers near their air space. Mr Putin said that the US was seriously examining Russian proposals to end the stand-off over the planned missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. But he warned: “If a decision is made without taking Russia's opinion into account, then we will certainly take steps in response, to ensure the security of Russian citizens.”

He also appeared to link the US intervention in Iraq with the need for Russia to defend its energy reserves in answer to a question from a mechanic from Siberia. The caller raised a comment allegedly made by former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright that it was “unjust” for Russia to have exclusive rights to the oil in Siberia. Mr Putin replied that he was not familiar with the comment but added: "I know that such ideas occupy the minds of certain politicians. This is a kind of political erotica, which perhaps, can give some people pleasure but is unlikely to yield any results.

“The best example of that are the events in Iraq — a small country that can hardly defend itself and which possesses huge oil reserves. And we see what's going on there.” He urged the US to set a date for ending its occupation of Iraq, saying it was “absolutely pointless to fight with a people”. “Russia, thank God, isn't Iraq. It has enough strength and power to defend itself and its interests, both on its territory and in other parts of the world.”

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle2687252.ece

Putin says Russia will defend natural resources in Siberia



President Vladimir Putin vowed Thursday that Russia would defend its vast natural resources in Siberia, saying Russia was 'not Iraq' and would not allow outsiders to gain control of its resources. "Thank God Russia is not Iraq. Russia has the strength and the means to defend itself," Putin said during a live television question-and-answer session with Russians from around the country. He dismissed talk of any outside country getting direct control over Russia's abundant natural resources in Siberia and contrasted the situation with that in Iraq. "The best example are the events in Iraq, a country which was challenged in defending itself and which had enormous oil reserves. And everyone has seen what happened there. They learned to shoot at each other. But so far, establishing order has not really worked out." He was responding to a question from a resident of the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, who had asked him to comment on a remark by a former US official suggesting that Russia should share the natural wealth of Siberia. "I know you are worried about this,' Putin said. 'I know that these kinds of ideas are circulating in the minds of some politicians,' he added, without elaborating. Putin said Russia was working on strengthening and modernising its army and navy as was its 'right' and added that 'we will continue to do this."

Source: http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/...fx4233392.html

Putin says Iraq shows need for strong Russia army



Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the U.S.-led war in Iraq on Thursday, saying that experience showed the need for resource-rich countries like Russia to build up their armed forces to defend themselves. "Thank God Russia is not Iraq," Putin said during a live televised national question-and-answer session. "It is strong enough to protect its interests within the national territory and, by the way, in other regions of the world." Answering a questioner who asked about supposed U.S. intentions to gain control over Russia's huge, resource-rich interior, Putin said: "I know that such ideas are brewing in the heads of some politicians. I think it is a sort of political eroticism which maybe gives someone pleasure but will hardly lead anywhere and the best example of that is Iraq." "... What we are doing to increase our defense capability is the correct choice and we will continue to do that," Putin added. Putin, who faces parliamentary elections in December, hailed Russia's continued strong economic growth and rising living standards during exchanges with questioners connected live from different Russian cities. He admitted that inflation, which at 8.5 percent in the year to date has already exceeded the government's target for the whole year, was a problem but blamed global economic factors such as cuts in European agricultural subsidies and demand for biofuels. Putin also claimed that Russia's demographic crisis was easing, with the birthrate reaching a 15-year high and the death rate falling to its lowest level since 1999.

PUTIN'S FUTURE

More than a million Russians applied to quiz Putin in the session, the sixth such annual event he has held to show he is in touch with the nation. Kremlin-watchers were following the event carefully for clues on what Putin plans after he steps down next year: whom he will endorse to succeed him and what role Putin himself will take to preserve his influence. This year's format began as in previous years, with a strong focus on domestic, bread-and-butter issues such as pensions, schools, prices and investment in the Far East. A selection of questions on the organizers' Web site, www.president-line.ru, suggested citizens were preoccupied with issues including rising utility bills, healthcare and students' finances. The site said that by 10:30 (2:30 a.m. EDT) on Thursday, 1.607 million questions had been submitted. The session is almost certain to be Putin's last before he steps down as president next year, when his second term ends. The constitution bars a president from serving more than two consecutive stints. Putin has said he will endorse the person he thinks is best suited to replace him. Opinion polls suggest that given Putin's personal popularity, that person will be the overwhelming favorite to win March 2008 presidential election. With three months to go before the deadline to register candidates in that vote, every Putin pronouncement is watched minutely for hints about whom he favors for the job. Analysts say newly appointed Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov and First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov are front-runners, but that Putin could equally spring a surprise. The Russian leader, who is 55, has said he will retain influence after he leaves the presidency. He said earlier this month it was possible he could become prime minister. Some observers say he is leaving open the possibility of returning to the presidency at a later date.

Source: http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/new...-PUTIN-COL.XML

Putin: Russia to develop both strategic and conventional weapons



Russia will develop strategic and conventional weapons in a bid to strengthen the country's defense, President Vladimir Putin said at an annual live question-and-answer TV and radio program Thursday. "We will attach significance not only to the nuclear triad – I mean the Strategic Rocket Forces, strategic aviation, and nuclear submarine fleet -- but also other types of weapons," Putin said in reply to a question by a serviceman from the Plesetsk military space center. Russia is pursuing a government armament program designed for the period up to 2015, which envisions the development of all types and services of the armed forces, he said. "Our plans are not simply considerable, but huge. At the same time, they are absolutely realistic... Our armed forces will be compact and very efficient, and they will reliably guarantee this country's security for years to come," Putin said. The Russian Air Force has started to receive the advanced Sukhoi Su-34 fighters and the new generation of fighters will be built by 2012-2015, Putin said, adding that Ground Forces have started to be armed with Iskander-M missile systems. Another strategic submarine will also be built next year, said the president.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_6903512.htm

Putin Says Russia Has `Grandiose Plans' for Military Buildup



President Vladimir Putin said Russia has "grandiose plans'' to continue the country's largest military build-up since the end of the Cold War. "We have plans, not simply big, but grandiose plans,'' Putin said today in his annual call-in television program with Russians spread across 11 time zones. "And they are completely realizable.'' Putin was responding to a question from soldiers stationed at a military base in Plesetk, site of a successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile earlier today. Russia, the world's biggest energy supplier, last year earmarked 6 trillion rubles ($240 billion) for military spending through 2015 as Putin uses revenue from high commodity prices to restore the country's might. The military struggled after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 as funding dried up and morale was sapped by incidents such as failed missile tests and the sinking of the Kursk submarine. The military last month tested the world's most powerful air-delivered vacuum bomb and today the Strategic Missile Forces said an RC-12M Topol missile traveled 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles) to hit its designated target on the Kamchatka Peninsula near the Pacific Ocean. Putin said Russia is "successfully'' enhancing its nuclear arsenal, including the highly maneuverable, multiheaded Topol-M. ``Completely new'' systems are being developed, Putin said, without elaborating. The Navy will start construction of a new class of nuclear submarine next year, strategic bombers are being modernized and ``a new generation warplane'' will be ready by 2015, Putin said. "Russia, thank God, is not Iraq, and Russia has enough forces and funds to defend itself and its interests both on its own territory and in other parts of the world,'' Putin said.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p....NI&refer=home