The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

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Russia sparks Cold War scramble



Russian bombers have flown to the US island of Guam in the Pacific in a surprise manoeuvre reminiscent of the Cold War era. Two Tu-95 turboprops flew this week to Guam, home to a big US military base, Russian Maj Gen Pavel Androsov said. They "exchanged smiles" with US pilots who scrambled to track them, he added. The sorties, believed to be the first since the Cold War ended, come as Russia stresses a more assertive foreign policy, correspondents say. The flight is part of a pattern of more expansive Russian military operations in recent weeks, says BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus.

Old practice

Gen Androsov said the strategic bombers had flown 13 hours from their base in the Russian Far East during the exercise. "It has always been the tradition of our long-range aviation to fly far into the ocean, to meet [US] aircraft carriers and greet [US pilots] visually," he said at a news conference. "Yesterday [Wednesday] we revived this tradition, and two of our young crews paid a visit to the area of the base of Guam," he said. "I think the result was good. We met our colleagues - fighter jet pilots from [US] aircraft carriers. We exchanged smiles and returned home," he added. During the Cold War, Soviet bombers regularly flew long-haul missions to areas patrolled by Nato and the US. The bombers have the capability of launching a nuclear strike with the missiles they carry.

Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6938856.stm

Russia Revives Cold War Style Surprise Visits To U.S. Air Space With Bomber Jets

Russia revived its Cold War practice of sending Russian bombers to pay a surprise visit near an American military base. On Wednesday, Russia flexed its military power muscle by sending two unannounced bomber jets to Guam, a U.S. Territory. U.S. fighter jets scrambled to meet the Tu-95 bombers on their unexpected military exercise in U.S. air space. Russian Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov made light of the incident, saying that U.S. pilots had exchanged smiles with their Russian counterparts.

"Whenever we saw U.S. planes during our flights over the ocean, we greeted them," Androsov said, according to Associated Press reports. "On Wednesday, we renewed the tradition when our young pilots flew by Guam in two planes. We exchanged smiles with our counterparts who flew up from a U.S. carrier and returned home."

Russia sent its jets to Guam as part of three days of military exercises that coincided with a week of U.S. military exercises off Guam. But the U.S. isn't the only one Russia has paid a Cold War style visit to recently. It also sent its bomber jets to Britain and Norway last month. Both countries responded by scrambling jets to intercept Russia's bombers. Russia has said it is considering re-establishing a permanent presence in the Mediterranean, which it had abandoned when the Soviet Union dissolved.

Source: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008153425

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Russia Boosts Military Presence at Home and Abroad



Moscow News By Anna Arutunyan

Russia is looking at boosting its military presence in the Mediterranean with plans to set up two naval bases in Syria. Together with the production of intercontinental ballistic missiles in the works and an air defense missile system in the Moscow region, this may be one of the first signs of the "asymmetrical" response to the United States that President Vladimir Putin spoke of in February. But while the West is already alarmed by the response, it may not be as threatening as it appears.

Russian Navy Chief Admiral Vladimir Masorin announced Friday in a televised address to journalists that Russia would return warships to the Mediterranean, marking the first military presence outside Russia since the breakup of the USSR. While Masorin did not mention Syria as the host of any bases, the Arab state has two ports, Tartus and Latakia, that hosted Soviet bases until 1992, making them the only likely ports to accommodate the new Navy bases. "The Mediterranean Sea is very important strategically for the Black Sea Fleet," Masorin told journalists in the Crimean port town of Sevastopol, the home of Russia's Black Sea fleet despite being on Ukrainian territory. "I suppose that, with the involvement of the Northern and Baltic fleets, the Russian Navy should restore its permanent presence there," RIA Novosti quoted Masorin as saying.

The development has already startled Israel, where the Yediot Aharonot came out with a front page headline, "The Russians are Coming." Israel fears that Russia could use the bases as intelligence centers to share information with countries like Iran. Analysts in Russia, however, tended to downplay the threat that this seemingly symbolic act held. Speaking in Sevastopol on Sunday, Masorin also revealed that Russia has ordered production of components for the Bulava-M missile, designed for a new generation of nuclear submarines. These intercontinental missiles were successfully test launched June 29 from a submarine in the White Sea to the Far East Kamchatka. This move to boost a key component of Russia's strategic forces was immediately interpreted as a response to U.S. plans to install 10 missile interceptors in Poland.

In a separate development, meanwhile, the S-400 Triumph missile defense system went into to combat alert in the Moscow region, Alexander Selin, Commander in Chief of Russia's Air Force, announced Monday. Designed to destroy aircraft made with Stealth technology, small cruise and tactical missiles, and warheads, the S-400, which operates from the town of Eletrostal, is intended to protect Moscow from missile threats. Together the moves showed that Moscow was taking its words about an "asymmetric" response seriously.

"Moscow has said several times that it does not intend to get into an arms race (this is completely meaningless, considering U.S. capabilities), but is ready for asymmetrical responses," says Fyodor Lukyanov, who edits the foreign policy journal Russia in Global Affairs. "Testing new weapons is certainly in this category, although their development began a lot sooner."

Whether meant as a response or not, these developments followed an unusually reconciliatory stance from the European Council, which said U.S. plans for the missile shield were not conducive to mutual understanding. "Especially not the way they tried to get it through and I am very happy that today there is a common working group between the U.S. and Russia so that they hopefully can find a common solution that is convenient for both parties," Rene van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said in an interview last week with the Russia Today channel. "It is in my view a negative element if member states of the EU and of the Council of Europe on their own take the decisions without consultation with Russia."

As for bases in Syria, the threat signaled to Israel and the United States seems more immediate but is not as strong as the Israeli media may suggest. Ivan Safranchuk, director of the Russian branch office of the World Security Institute, doesn't see the plans as a necessary response to the United States. "Of course the United States will take it badly," he told The Moscow News. "The United States has been conducting an operation to liquidate Syrian and Iranian influence in the Middle East since 1994. And Syria is the only adequate ally Russia has in the Middle East." Lukyanov, meanwhile, says that it is too soon to draw any conclusions from the plans for the naval bases, but added that it might negatively impact Russia's relationship with the United States, which views Syria as an "unfriendly state."

On the other hand, Russia's plans in the Mediterranean might only signal that the country has the resources to begin reestablishing its world presence. Russia had a naval base in Tartus since 1971. It was shut down in 1991 simply because Russia didn't have the means to sustain it considering its internal upheavals. Safranchuk agrees that it was closed not as a friendly gesture to the United States, but because Russia had no money. According to the Kommersant daily, money is indeed still the main obstacle in reestablishing a fleet in the Mediterranean. "All that Russia can afford to base in Syria is one or two warships," Kommersant quoted Konstantin Makienko of the Center for Analysis of Strategy and Technology as saying.

Source: http://mnweekly.ru/politics/20070809/55266248.html

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Gazprom could become world's richest company-Medvedev



Russian gas giant Gazprom could become the richest company in the world, a Russian first deputy prime minister said in an interview with a German magazine Thursday. "Gazprom has the largest natural gas reserves in the world. When I joined the board of directors (in 2000), the concern was worth about $8 billion, but today it is more than $250 billion. One day it could become the world's most valuable company," Dmitry Medvedev, who is also chairman of the Gazprom board of directors, said in an interview with Stern magazine. He said enterprises that own strategic resources must be under state control. "The entire country, its population, depends on Gazprom. We do not want to risk an economic or political collapse that could occur should the enterprise be sold to a dozen or so private owners," he said. Medvedev said Gazprom has always honored its contractual delivery obligations, and nothing in the future would change in this respect. "And please don't forget that German firms have a 6% share in Gazprom," the first deputy prime minister said.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070809/70680642.html

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Georgia Seeks U.N. Security Council Session About Missile



The Republic of Georgia presented what it called a mounting body of evidence on Wednesday that a Russian warplane had entered deep into its airspace and fired an air-to-ground missile. It said it was seeking a special session of the United Nations Security Council to address the matter. No one was injured by the missile, which struck on Monday evening near Tsitelubani, a village about 30 miles from Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. The missile broke apart on impact, but did not explode. The Georgian military later detonated the missile.

The episode, apparently the second raid with sophisticated, Russian-made weapons on Georgian soil this year, inflamed tensions anew between the countries. Russia has denied any role, and suggested that Georgia attacked itself. It has also said it wants a comprehensive investigation of the matter. But with Georgia marshaling its evidence and its foreign minister, Gela Bezhuashvili, rallying international support, the matter seemed to pose problems for Russian diplomacy in the turbulent Caucasus. Estonia and Latvia condemned the episode as an act of aggression against Georgia, and Britain called for an investigation.

Mr. Bezhuashvili said he hoped to set up an international panel. “We have a body of evidence,” he said by telephone. “There is a common understanding of the seriousness of the situation, and we are initiating a process of calling for a special session of the U.N. Security Council.” In March, a guided missile and a barrage of unguided rockets struck remote villages late at night in the Kodori Gorge, the only area of the Russian-backed separatist region of Abkhazia that is under Georgian control. More than 50 witnesses reported the sound of helicopters, which Georgia said flew in from a Russian base.

Russia denied involvement in that attack, although United Nations investigators issued a report this summer that strongly suggested a Russian role. It fell short of directly accusing Russia, in part because Russia did not cooperate fully with investigators and there was no radar record available. The latest missile, however, was from an aircraft that flew near a main highway outside Tbilisi, an area with radar coverage.

Georgia said it had collected radar records from both its civilian and military air traffic controllers that clearly show an aircraft enter from Russia, fly to the area of the strike, then turn around and fly back into Russia. Georgia also released audio recordings and a transcript of an apparently frustrated Georgian air traffic controller. The controller was talking with his counterpart in southwestern Russia, asking about an unscheduled flight along the border that he was seeing on his screen, the Georgian government said.

The Russian controller checked with his supervisor, according to the recording, which was released to journalists. He then told the Georgian controller that no planes were flying. “Our bosses said that nobody is there, neither by plan nor in reality,” the Russian said. “Well, O.K., it might be a U.F.O.,” the Georgian answered. Georgia has long accused Russia of conducting military flights across the border; Mr. Bezhuashvili said there were multiple incursions on Saturday and Sunday. He added that a tepid international response to the incursions, and the limited response to the attack in the Kodori Gorge in March, had emboldened Russia.

The Kremlin, which continues to wage a counterinsurgency campaign against Chechen separatists and Islamic militants in the north Caucasus, backs secular separatists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two breakaway regions over the border in Georgia. It has tried to portray the region as peaceful, and will be the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics not far away, in Sochi. No motive for the missile firing was immediately clear. But Shota Utiashvili, the head of the analysis department for Georgia’s Interior Ministry, said the plane might have released the missile after taking fire from Ossetian separatists on the ground.

On Tuesday, the commander of Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia said on Russian national television that the Ossetians had fired at a plane, apparently thinking it was Georgian. Because the missile did not explode, many of the fragments were recovered. Georgia, which briefed foreign diplomats, said the remains made clear that the missile was an AS-Kilter, a guided missile nearly 16 feet long that was designed in Soviet times to destroy NATO radar installations. The missile can carry an explosive charge of more than 300 pounds. Georgia said it had neither AS-11 Kilter missiles nor aircraft that can fire them.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/09/wo...nt&oref=slogin

In related news:

Breakaway S.Ossetia asks Russia for air defenses in conflict zone



South Ossetia will formally request that Russia deploy air defense systems in the zone of conflict with Georgia in the wake of an airspace violation dispute this week, the breakaway region's leader said Thursday. "South Ossetia will approach Russia with a request to equip [Russian] peacekeepers in the conflict zone with modern air defense systems to target airspace violators," Eduard Kokoity told RIA Novosti by telephone.

On Tuesday, Georgia accused Russia of firing a missile on a village 65 kilometers (about 40 miles) northwest of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and near the border with its breakaway region Monday. The 640-kilogram (1,400-pound) missile did not explode, but has fueled tensions between the former Soviet allies. Russia, which Tbilisi has accused of backing separatists, has denied involvement in the incident, demanding a thorough probe and saying it was "a new provocation" staged by Tbilisi to destabilize the region. South Ossetia echoed the accusations, saying the aircraft came from Georgia's side.

"To deter more provocations from Georgia, we will ask the Russian leadership to reinforce the peacekeeping units in the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict zone ... so they can bring down violators. It will then be clear whose aircraft entered the conflict zone," Kokoity said. The commander of joint peacekeeping forces said Thursday Tbilisi had denied information of an intruding aircraft the day before accusing Russia of doing so. "On August 6, when the incident occurred, I contacted the command of the Georgian part of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces and informed them of the intrusion and the launch [of a missile]. A report followed one hour later that the [Georgian] Armed Forces denied any intrusion whatsoever," Kulakhmetov said.

He also said peacekeepers could not identify the unexploded missile, as Georgia had rushed to destroy it. Dismissing Russian and South Ossetian charges Wednesday, Georgia said, citing experts, that it was a Russian-designed anti-radar guided missile not in use in Georgia's Armed Forces. Tbilisi has demanded that the European Union step in and that the UN Security Council hold an emergency session on the matter. The United States condemned what it called a rocket attack on Georgia and urged Moscow and Tbilisi to ensure a peaceful resolution in the breakaway region in a State Department statement late Wednesday. Europe also called on restraint from the parties involved.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20070809/70680398.html

South Ossetia: Georgian troops plant landmines and launch grenades at peacekeepers and civilians, destroy property



A peacekeeping post of the South Ossetian side to the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPF) in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone was attacked by fire. The fire was held from a Georgian post near Dvani Village from automatic grenade launcher AGS-17. Under the grenade fire also happened to be working harvesting combines from Mugut Village of South Ossetia’s Znaur Region. Another incident occurred on the outskirts of an Ossetian village Ubiat of the Znaur Region of South Ossetia. Several cows were killed in antipersonnel landmines’ explosions planted by the Georgian side. The cows were property of the Ossetian village residents.

“These provoking action became possible because of the lenience of the peacekeepers’ Command. For over three months, illegal Georgian posts have been set up and acting in the Command’s jurisdiction,” reads statement issued by South Ossetian side to JCC.

“Georgian detachments without insignia organized in the region long-term gun posts and support structures, to which Command has given no reaction.”

“As a result of such ‘appeasement policy,’ Georgian detachments, who are enjoying full impunity, organize provocations, already against peacekeepers themselves.”

“The number of such provoking acts of aggression increases each week; however, nothing is done to prevent them. This, undoubtedly, undermines trust of the local population to the JPF Command,” the South Ossetian side to JCC says in the statement.

Source: http://www.regnum.ru/english/868416.html

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

Russian war games in the Arctic



Russia is holding extensive war games in the Arctic this week, including cruise missile tests and a flight over the North Pole by strategic bombers.

The military exercises come on the heels of a controversial scientific expedition which last week planted a titanium Russian flag on the seabed 4-kilometres beneath the Pole to signify Moscow's claim to own a big slice of the Arctic. The RIA-Novosti agency quoted airforce sources as saying that four supersonic Tu-160 strategic bombers and 14 medium-range Tu-22M bombers are involved in the exercises, which will include a flyover of the 1.2-million square kilometre Arctic territories claimed by Russia. Moscow argues that the Lomonosov Ridge, which underlies the Arctic, is an extension of the Siberian continental shelf and therefore subject to Russian sovereignty. Two scientific expeditions, including last week's flag-planting exercise at the North Pole, have been sent so far this year to gather data to back up Russia's claim before the United Nations commission that rules on territorial zones.

A third mission, including a nuclear-powered icebreaker and at least one deep-sea submersible, is slated to leave for the Arctic in the coming weeks. Other Arctic countries have condemned Russia's actions as political theatre that has no legal implications, but the event has nevertheless triggered a flurry of activity from some. Canada this week announced that it, too, will hold military exercises this week in the Arctic territory near Baffin Island, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper embarked on a three-day tour of the North. In the wake of Russia's flag-planting, the U.S. ordered a Coast Guard icebreaker, the USS Healy, to conduct research in the high Arctic near Alaska.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryP...9-0db5f5c9b287

In related news:

Canadian Premier Travels North to Counter Russia's Arctic Claim

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper set off to the country's north yesterday after Russia planted a flag on the seabed at the North Pole as part of its effort to claim Arctic territory rich in natural resources. The north is a vast storehouse of energy and mineral riches,'' Harper said in a speech yesterday in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, according to a government transcript. He promised to ``take action to vigorously protect our Arctic sovereignty as international interest in the region increases.'' A Russian mini-submarine descended 4.26 kilometers (2.6 miles) to the Arctic Ocean floor beneath the polar cap on Aug. 2 to carry out scientific tests and plant a Russian flag.

Russia contends the underwater Lomonosov Ridge links Siberia to the Arctic seabed, which may allow the country to extend its territory. The area of the Arctic shelf may hold 10 billion tons of oil equivalent, as well as gold, nickel and diamonds, according to the Russian government. Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay said after the flag was planted that the Russians are fooling themselves if they believe they can simply lay claim to the Arctic. You can't go around the world these days, dropping a flag somewhere,'' he said. This isn't the 14th or 15th century.'' President Vladimir Putin congratulated the team of explorers and its leader, Artur Chilingarov, who is also a pro- Kremlin lawmaker, when they returned to Moscow on Aug. 7.

United Nations

I am happy that we placed a Russian flag on the ocean floor, where no one has ever been before, and I couldn't care less what some foreigners say,'' Chilingarov said. Russia's territorial claim still needs to be accepted by international bodies, Putin said. Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the U.S. have territory within the Arctic Circle. Under the United Nations Law of the Sea convention they have rights to economic zones in the Arctic Ocean within 200 miles of their shores. Denmark's claim is based on its control of Greenland and the country has undertaken its own territorial surveys in the region.

Russia says the Arctic's energy and mineral resources are becoming more accessible because of global warming. Russia, which ratified the Law of the Sea treaty in 1997, has until the end of this year to prove its claim. Canada has until 2013, Agence France-Presse reported. All Canadians need to recognize, there is a convergence of economic, environmental and strategic factors occurring here that will have critical impacts on the future of our country,'' Harper said, according to a transcript on his Web site.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...k&refer=canada

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Why Russia should sell weapons to Iran and Syria



In the United States, the debate on pulling out of Iraq has given way to a dispute about the wisdom of supplying the Saudis with the latest American weapons. A similar situation is taking place in France, where passions are running high around the planned delivery of weapons and a nuclear power plant to Libya. In both cases, the commercial and political benefits are being weighed against the threat of nuclear proliferation and concern about terrorists getting their hands on nuclear arms. With whom is it OK to trade in such commodities, and on what terms? These have always been relevant questions.

The U.S. Congress warned President George W. Bush that in September, after their return from summer recess, they would submit to both the House and the Senate a bill that would block supplies of certain weapons to the Saudis. They explained that Saudi Arabia did not behave like an American ally; rather, it supplied militants and suicide bombers for the war in Iraq and funded terrorist activities all over the world. These comments were made about one of Washington's key partners in the Arab world. The United States is hurling the same accusations at its number one enemies: Syria and Iran. What is the difference between a friend and a foe?

It is true that terrorists are coming to Iraq both from Saudi Arabia and Syria. Many of the militants captured in Iraq have Saudi passports. But this does not mean that the kingdom's government supports them. (There is no evidence that Syria is backing them, either). Quite the contrary, the Saudis are interested in fighting terrorism. But there are private funds helping the Islamic extremists in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Muslim world. After September 11, 2001 the Gulf governments became much more cautious in their attitude to such funds and generally changed their attitude to the extremists, who are now primarily a major headache for them. Extremists are a problem for the entire Muslim world, rather than just the Saudis.

Does this mean that it is necessary to ban the sale of weapons in the Middle East? U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a telling comment on this subject. He told the Israelis that the Saudis and other moderate Arab countries would be able to get the weapons elsewhere, including from Russia, if America did not supply them. The logic is understandable: it is better to try and control which weapons are sold and where, or put the sales under international supervision, say, the IAEA, rather than cede the market to other countries.

But Moscow is following the same logic in cooperating with Syria and Iran. Many arguments may be cited to explain the difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran, or Syria and Iraq, but they are largely politically motivated. The entire Middle East, or rather the Muslim world, is in the same boat. Weapons supplied to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan or the Palestinian National Authority may end up in terrorist hands just like weapons sold to Syria and Iran. There is no guarantee that if Russia leaves this niche tomorrow, it won't be occupied by American or European defense companies.

The impossible becomes possible all too often. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a former swore enemy of the West accused of supporting terrorism, can now be seen hugging French President Nicolas Sarkozy. He also hosted Tony Blair when the latter was British prime minister. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she wouldn't mind visiting Libya. As a result, major Western oil companies have come back to that country; large-scale arms deals and the construction of a nuclear power plant are in the offing. Obviously, all this has happened because Tripoli changed its foreign policy, abandoned the development of weapons of mass destruction and stopped lashing out at the West. But Gaddafi is the same man; yesterday, he profited from certain things, whereas now he stands to gain from others. Time and circumstance will dictate what he will be interested in tomorrow.

Or take an example from another region: North Korea. Today the world community, including the United States, is discussing ways of helping that country, but only yesterday Washington was calling it part of the Axis of Evil. Everything is relative: friends and foes, and rules for trade in weapons. The United States supplying arms to Iran and Syria does not seem like such a fantastic notion, and as we see, regime change is not at all necessary. If such trade is profitable and politically feasible, why not go for it?

We could go on and on about whether arms trafficking is ethical at all. But if it cannot be stopped, let it be controlled as much as possible by respectable salesmen, be they the United States, France or Russia. Otherwise, as Robert Gates rightly noted, the niche may be occupied by completely different players. 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/20070808/70643608.html

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Arctic military bases signal new Cold War



Canada fired a warning shot in a new Cold War over the vast resources of the far North by announcing last night that it will build two new military bases in the Arctic wilderness. A week after Russia laid claim to the North Pole in what is rapidly becoming a global scramble for the region’s vast oil and gas reserves, Stephen Harper, the Canadian Prime Minister, said that Canada would open a new army training centre for cold-weather fighting at Resolute Bay, and a deep-water port at Nanisivik, on the northern tip of Baffin Island. The country is also beefing up its military presence in the far North with 900 Rangers.

“Canada’s Government understands that the first principle of Arctic sovereignty is use it or lose it,” Mr Harper said. The move comes a week after Russia planted a rustproof titanium flag on the seabed beneath the North Pole in a blatant attempt to stake a claim to the billions of tonnes of untapped energy resources believed to be under the Arctic Ocean. Under international law, each of five Arctic countries – Canada, Russia, the United States, Norway and Denmark – controls an economic zone within 200 miles of its continental shelf. But the limits of that shelf are in dispute, and as Russia seeks to expand its gas and oil reserves, the region is at the centre of a battle for energy rights and ownership. Last week’s Russian expedition, when two mini-submarines reached the seabed 13,980ft (4,261m) beneath the North Pole, was part of a push by Moscow to find evidence for its claim that the Arctic seabed and Siberia are linked by a single continental shelf, thus making the polar region a geological extension of Russia.

The vessels recovered samples from the seabed in an attempt to demonstrate that the Lomonosov Ridge, an underwater shelf that runs through the Arctic, is an extension of Russian territory. The United Nations rejected that claim in 2002, citing lack of proof, but Moscow is expected to make its case again in 2009. Denmark and Canada also argue that the Lomonosov Ridge is connected to their territories. Norway is also conducting a survey to strengthen its case. All five Arctic nations are competing to secure subsurface rights to the seabed. One study by the US Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic has as much as 25 per cent of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas. Canada was furious at the attempted Russian land grab. “This isn’t the 15th century,” Peter MacKay, the Canadian Foreign Minister, said. “You can’t go around the world and just plant flags and say, ‘We’re claiming this territory’.”

The move has clearly rattled the Harper administration, which is under domestic pressure to beef up its sovereignty claims to the disputed region. Mr Harper said that his announcement of the new military facilities would “tell the world that Canada has a real, growing, long-term presence in the Arctic”. Standing next to Gordon O’Connor, his Defence Minister, and a group of Rangers – a rifle-toting Inuit volunteer force – Mr Harper added: “Protecting national sovereignty, the integrity of our borders, is the first and foremost responsibility of a national government.”

Last month Mr Harper announced that six to eight new navy patrol ships would be built to guard the Northwest Passage sea route in the Arctic.

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle2238243.ece

Canada Plans Two Military Facilities In Arctic

Canada says it plans to build two new military facilities in the Arctic, including a deep-water port and training center for Canadian military personnel. The announcement on August 10 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper came a week after Russian explorers using submarines symbolically staked a claim to the region by planting a flag at a depth of 4,200 meters, beneath the ice of the North Pole. The Russian effort has been regarded as a move to help advance Russia's claims to oil, gas, and mineral resources on the Arctic seabed. Under international law, none of the surrounding Arctic states -- Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway, or Denmark -- owns the North Pole or the Arctic Ocean. Sovereignty rights are guided by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Under international law, Russia, Canada, Norway, the United States, and Denmark currently each control 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zones in the Arctic Ocean extending from their coastlines. But the law also allows a country to file a claim on additional territory beyond its exclusive economic zone if it can define the outer limits of its continental shelf -- in the Russian case the Lomonosov Ridge. Moscow said the expedition would help prove that the North Pole is a geological extension of Russia.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle...C44B95C14.html

Putin praises new radar station near St. Petersburg

President Vladimir Putin said Saturday he was satisfied with the new Voronezh anti-missile radar station recently built near St. Petersburg. Putin, who attended a session on the development of the aviation engines industry, said he hoped the Defense Ministry would ensure the unconditional implementation of all plans for the modernization of the Russian Army and Navy.

"This [radar] is the first step toward the implementation of the overall program, which is intended to be implemented by 2015," Putin said. "It is pleasant to note that it was achieved not only within the set timeframe, but also with the use of Russian intellectual and production means." The radar station, located in Lekhtusi, near St. Petersburg, began operating December 22, 2006, and is capable of monitoring territory stretching from the North Pole to North Africa.

"This is what we, in effect, call the modern development of our Armed Forces - an innovative development of those Armed Forces. It is considerably less expensive, more effective and more reliable," he said. He noted that former Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov devoted a great deal of time to the question of modernizing Russia's Armed Forces. "I hope that the new military leadership will also do all it can to guarantee to realization of plans for the modernization of the Army and Navy," Putin said.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070811/70981372.html

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

On a side note, which in my opinion is somewhat related to the Russian Federation, are the following reports about South America:

Venezuela, Argentina sign Bolivia energy accords


From left to right, Argentina’s President Nestor Kirchner, Bolivia’s Evo morales, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez at a regional summit in Iguazu, Argentina, 2006

Argentina and Venezuela pledged new oil and natural gas investments on Friday in their neighbor and leftist ally Bolivia, which is seeking new investors after nationalizing its energy sector last year. Leaders from the three countries met in Tarija, Bolivia's natural gas capital, where President Nestor Kirchner said Argentina would give Bolivia soft loans for a $450 million processing plant to ship more natural gas to Argentina. Bolivia and Venezuela launched an ambitious energy alliance earlier in the day, announcing $600 million in oil exploration by a new binational company, YPFB-Petroandina. In Tarija, President Evo Morales said, as he has before, that companies that do not meet investment commitments will be thrown out of Bolivia, and Kirchner said Argentina would step in.

"My dear Evo, my telephone is waiting for your call. If these businessmen don't invest, just pick up the phone and we Argentines are going to come invest with you," Kirchner said. Morales nationalized Bolivia's energy industry in May 2006, hugely increasing the government portion of profit from foreign oil companies such as Brazil's Petrobras and Spain's Repsol-YPF. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who this week toured the region promising new energy investments in Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador as well as Bolivia, has used wealth from his country's oil exports to extend his regional influence.

His new joint venture with Morales -- 60 percent Bolivian and 40 percent Venezuelan -- will explore in the unexplored Amazon region north of La Paz and in blocks in Chaco, in southeastern Bolivia. Chavez also pledged financial backing for Bolivia to start developing a petrochemical industry. Argentina, meanwhile, will give Bolivia a 20-year, 1.5 percent loan to finance a gas separation plant billed as becoming the biggest in South America, with capacity to process 30 million cubic meters of gas a day, Kirchner said.

Kirchner previously pledged to invest another $1.5 billion in a pipeline to be ready within three years to increase Argentine natural gas imports from Bolivia to 20 million cubic meters a day, almost three times current levels. Critics say Kirchner's price controls on natural gas produced at home have dampened investment in Argentina's own energy industry and question his plans to bring increase shipments of more expensive fuel from Bolivia. Morales and Chavez also announced a joint $70 million investment in a thermoelectric plant for the Chapare region. Bolivia will put in 60 percent and Venezuela will add the rest.

Source: http://africa.reuters.com/business/n...BAN130909.html

Doing It Their Own Way: Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador

A new wave of Latin American leaders is changing the face of the region and its relations with the United States, multilateral institutions, international financial markets and foreign investors. While this is often seen in Washington in political terms, as the rise of populism or anti-Americanism, much can be explained by looking at the economics of these changes. Rafael Correa, Ecuador's newly elected president, is a case in point. Correa recently sent the country's bond markets tumbling by announcing that he would seek to restructure Ecuador's foreign debt. He is looking toward a 75 percent debt reduction, and will use the savings on debt service to increase social spending.

Correa, who got his Ph.D. in economics at the University of Illinois in Urbana, understands very well that foreign capital can, in some circumstances, contribute to development. But when a country is borrowing simply to pay off debt, it may make more sense to clear some debt off the books and start over, just as someone who declares bankruptcy in the United States does. Argentina defaulted on its debt in December 2001. The government drove a hard bargain with its foreign creditors and with the International Monetary Fund, which wanted the government to pay more to the defaulted bondholders and to follow more orthodox macro- economic policy prescriptions. In the end the Argentines were proven right. The economy shrank for only about three months after the default; it has since grown at an annual rate of more than 8 percent, pulling more than 8 million people out of poverty in a country of 36 million.

President Néstor Kirchner of Argentina has pursued these policies outside of the international spotlight. But the way he led Argentina out of its depression of 1998-2002 is comparable to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's leadership in the United States during the Great Depression. Like Roosevelt, Kirchner had to reject the advice of the majority of the economics profession (Roosevelt did this even before Keynes had published his General Theory), stand up to powerful interests (foreign bondholders and utility companies, the IMF and World Bank), and do what was best for the country. A stable and competitive exchange rate, reasonable interest rates and the use of unorthodox measures to control inflation were some of the policies that Argentina needed to produce its remarkable economic recovery.

Venezuela's Hugo Chávez is a more controversial leader, but his government's economic policies are working. The year 2006 will be the second in a row in which Venezuela has a 10 percent growth rate, the highest in the region, after a 17.8 percent jump in 2004. To put the country on a solid growth path, the government needed to get control over the national oil company PDVSA, which is the source of nearly half the government's revenues and 80 percent of the country's export earnings. The opposition resisted fiercely, with a U.S.-backed military coup and an oil strike that devastated the economy in 2002-2003. But since the government prevailed it has been able to assure not only rapid growth but vastly expanded social programs for the poor, including free health care, subsidized food and increased access to education.

Some say this is just an oil boom that will collapse when oil prices drop, but the Chávez government has budgeted conservatively for oil prices that were about half of what they are now. The governments of Argentina and Venezuela are transforming not only their own countries but also the region by finally breaking the IMF's control over credit. Only a few years ago, a government that did not agree to IMF conditions would find itself denied credit not only from the Fund but from the much larger World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, G-7 governments and even the private sector. This was the major instrument of Washington's influence in the region, and helped bring higher interest rates, tighter budgets, privatization, indiscriminate liberalization of international trade and capital flows and the abandonment of development strategies.

Venezuela has now provided an alternative source of credit, with no economic policy strings attached, to Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and other countries. The dissolution of the IMF's "creditors' cartel" is the most important change in the international financial system since the collapse of the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates in 1973. Now even poor countries like Bolivia can say no to the "Washington consensus," capture billions of dollars of additional revenues from resources like natural gas, and use them to deliver on their promises of a New Deal for the region's poor. The region's first indigenous president, Evo Morales, is also making history as he completes his first year in office.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil has continued the neoliberal policies (and resultant sluggish economic growth) of his predecessor. But he has been a team player internationally, forging a close alliance with Argentina and Venezuela that has buried Washington's proposed "Free Trade Area of the Americas," and pursuing increased regional economic integration. Latin America has clearly taken a turn in a new economic direction, and it looks to be overwhelmingly positive. After 26 years of slow economic growth, it would be difficult for the new leaders to do worse.

Source: http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1925

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

And related news that got my attention is this report about Israeli, American and British special forces operating in the jungles of Colombia under the pretext of fighting "drug lords" and guerilla fighters. As previously stated, US-backed Colombia will the the future center of anti-Venezuelan military operations.

Nonetheless, just try to imagine what would happen if Venezuela decided one day to send military specialists to south Lebanon or Iraq under one pretext or another. Or, better yet, try to imagine the political crisis that would occur if Iran sent its specialists to Venezuela to help them fight "drug lords."

Armenian

Report: Israelis fighting guerillas in Colombia



Colombian paper quotes local defense minister as confirming ex Israeli officers helping government in battle against guerillas, drug lords, while guerrilla group FARC claims Israeli commandos also fighting them in jungles

Colombia's defense minister confirmed recently that ex Israeli military men were helping his government fight guerilla organizations, Colombia weekly Semana recently reported. Meanwhile, Colombian guerilla group FARC stated that Israeli commandos, along with American and British forces, were operating in the jungles against drug lords and guerilla fighters. While denying this report, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos did admit that a group of Israeli advisors was working alongside local defense officials in the last year.

According to Semana, "A group of former Israeli military officials is counseling the military's top brass on intelligence issues." The paper added that the Israelis were hired by the Colombian Defense Ministry in order to improve the army's intelligence gathering capabilities and the command and control structure within the military. Defense Minister Santos, said the Semana, was put in touch with the Israelis last year by former Israeli foreign minister Shlomo Ben Ami. Ben Ami's spokesman stated that Santos has been referred to the relevant authorities in Israel. The contract between the Israeli advisors and the Colombian Defense Ministry was signed in April this year, and sources in the country said that it stood at $10 million.

'Best in the world'

The Israeli group, reportedly made up of three senior generals, a lower ranking officer and three translators, is highly esteemed by the Colombians. "They are like psychoanalysts; they ask us the material questions and help us see all the problems we weren't aware of before," Deputy Defense Minister Sergio Jaramillo told the newspaper. "They are the best in the world," another high ranking officer stated.

The paper described the Israeli aides as "mercenaries," but stressed that the Israeli government was aware of their actions. In recent years, Israel has become Colombia's number one weapon supplier, with the arms mainly used to battle drug lords. These weapons include drones, light arms and ammunition, observation and communication systems and even special bombs capable of destroying coca fields. "Israel's methods of fighting terror have been duplicated in Colombia," a senior defense official said Thursday, adding that arms export to Colombia has increased significantly in recent years, totaling tens of millions of dollars.

Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...435949,00.html

[Armenian]

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

The CIS and Baltic press on Russia



ESTONIA

The press continues to discredit the Nord Stream gas project. Newspapers have given extensive coverage to a letter, whereby members of the Estonian Academy of Sciences protest against allowing Gazprom's subsidiary to study the seabed in the Estonian economic zone.

"The scientists believe that Gazprom's actions do not fit in the EU-accepted business relations. Actively using the advantages of the EU's open energy market, Gazprom is blocking the construction of a gas pipeline from Central Asia to Europe and preventing foreign businesses from developing Russian gas deposits." (Postimees, August 1).

"In plain terms, the Academy thinks that Gazprom is hypocritical, is a weapon of the Kremlin, its pipelines explode but it is not responsible for potential damage to the environment." (Delfi, August 8).

The media are annoyed with Russia and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for strong criticism of the 20th SS division's rally in Sinimae. Commentators are explaining the position of PACE chairman, Rene van der Linden, by his family's economic interests in Russia.

"The PACE chairman's criticism of Estonia is astounding, to put it mildly.... Linden believes that the rally in Sinimae and the Erna Raid [military competition based on the route of a subversive Nazi group] testify to the growing neo-Nazi attitudes in Estonia, and that it is necessary to exert pressure on it in this context. Did he really make this statement because his family has economic interests in Russia? Let's recall that Gerhard Schroeder, whose prosperity also depends on the Kremlin, was one of the few critics of Estonia during the April events." (Eesti Paevaleht, August 3).

LATVIA

Analysts consider inevitable a global conflict between the two civilizations - Russian and Anglo-American. The press is blaming Russia for trying to restore its superpower status at all costs, which has already escalated tensions in Russian-American relations.

"Sometimes, both superpowers embraced each other with passion, while at other times they were on the brink of a nuclear war.... Russia does not consider strong a state if its citizens do not march obediently during parades. For Russians, democracy is no more than a desire of their tsar. In turn, Americans do not understand how people can live without independent courts, the media, real political opposition, etc. Hence, the majority in Russia believe in the need for military parity with the United States. It does not even occur to Russia that it is possible to live without military parity. It is guided by Napoleon's principle - a ruler who does not upkeep his army, has to upkeep his enemy's army." (Nedelya, August 1).

LITHUANIA

The media are alarmed by plans of the pro-Kremlin Nashi (Us) youth movement to establish a representative office in Lithuania. Viewing this intention as the Kremlin's political expansion, commentators are hoping that the Ministry of Justice will prohibit this youth movement in Lithuania as an extremist organization.

"Russia has been building up its might recently because of soaring oil prices, and its political ambitions have been growing accordingly. The Kremlin is trying to achieve its goals in the Baltic countries not only by using economic and information channels, but also by backing local Russian political and public organizations." (Respublika, August 1).

BELARUS

Experts believe that the recently announced tender for the construction of a Belarusian nuclear power plant is the beginning of Minsk's new political and economic game with Moscow.

"The plant will be built near the Belarusian city of Mogilev, some 500 km away from Moscow. Needless to say, the Belarusian president was bound to use this fact to blackmail the Russian leaders. The French AREVA company is not likely to build a nuclear power plant in Belarus. The tender is just another Belarusian trick. In fact, Russia has been offered a deal - if Moscow forgives Minsk its gas debts today, Minsk will promise Moscow victory in the tender tomorrow. A Russian loan will pay for it. Whether this wonderful 'morrow' will become a reality is a big question. The Belarusian president has been promising Russia full integration 'tomorrow' for more than 10 years, which did not prevent him from getting Russian energy sources at symbolic prices 'today.'" (Narodnaya volya, August 2).

UKRAINE

Talking about a new gas conflict between Moscow and Minsk, the press recalls that the January clash ended badly for Minsk - it had to accept a higher gas price and an agreement on the sale of part of its gas transportation network. Fearing that Kiev may land in a similar position now, commentators are warning that it may pay dearly for concessions to Russia.

"Belarus has driven itself into a corner by giving up its all but one trump card - transit. Now it will be swallowed by bits - its businesses will be taken away, its prime ministers reshuffled and gas prices will go up on end. This whole story should give much food for thought to the Ukrainian authorities. It is no secret that Russians regularly approach us with the proposals to own the pipe together. They are using the same arguments as with Belarus - we'll fix a normal price on gas for you and you'll forget about this problem altogether! The example of Belarus shows that in real life this means taking over businesses for debts and establishing outside control over them. Belarus is not the only one. At one time, Russia's 'wonderful' property-for-debts program allowed it to get its hands on Armenia's strategic businesses." (Gazeta po-kievsky, August 2).

Journalists believe that Russian-British diplomatic squabble is no more than a clash of bilateral economic and geopolitical interests.

"As always, money rules the world. The Russians have deprived British Petroleum of access to Siberia's richest oil deposits and London is in anger. Moreover, London has become a global headquarters for shadow Russian millionaires in exile who are pushing up prices for London's real estate and certainly greasing the hands of local politicians. This is enough for the West to launch a new crusade for the 'liberation' of oil from its despotic owners." (2000, August 3).

MOLDOVA

Chisinau commentators maintain that by and large, Russia has lost its battle for Kosovo. All Tiraspol can hope for is that the United Nations will consider Russia's veto and suspend Kosovo's recognition.

"If the United Nations remains uninvolved and Kosovo's independence will be recognized by those who are working for it now, the process of Transdnestr settlement will become a link in the chain of unpredictable events on the Balkans." (Nezavisimaya Moldova, August 3).

ARMENIA

The press is convinced that the Western firm intention to see Kosovo independent is a show of force to Russia rather than demonstrative punishment of Serbia.

"NATO is not granting independence to Kosovo. NATO is punishing Serbia for Russia to get the hint what will happen if it does not become obedient." (Golos Armenii, August 4).

GEORGIA

Nobody doubts in Georgia that Russian aircraft bombed it on August 6. The media are unanimous in qualifying this incident as an undisguised act of aggression on behalf of Russia. Experts are coming up with their versions of why Moscow has made this provocation.

"The Russian Federation is Georgia's enemy - this is beyond doubt. It will take such an aircraft five minutes to fly from the bombing site to downtown Tbilisi. Nothing is sacred for these people.... This is a test to see how Georgia and the world will react to this with a view to planning more serious actions in the future.... This is one more opportunity to remind the Georgians that Russia is not so weak as some people think.... The military, primarily the generals and certain political forces, may have a stake in it." (Novosti-Gruziya, August 7).

The press views recognition of Kosovo's independence as an all but a fair accompli. Commentators fear that Russia will be next to recognize Abkhazia's independence.

'"Kosovo's destiny has been decided, which means that our future will also be decided in the near future,' said Abkhazian leader Sergei Bagapsh." (24 saati, August 8).

"Kosovo's official recognition will create serious problems for Georgia.... Russia is going to officially recognize Abkhazia in January." (Rezonansi, August 2).

AZERBAIJAN

Analyzing the prospects of Azerbaijan's gas exports, analysts have come to the conclusion that it will be able, with U.S. and EU support, to seriously reduce Russia's natural gas exports to Europe, if not oust it from the market altogether in the near future.

"Azerbaijan is finally squeezing Russia from the Georgian market. It supplies Georgia with gas at a price of $63 for 1,000 cubic meters from the Shakh-Deniz deposit. Its national oil company has an agreement with Georgia for the delivery of $120 for 1,000 cubic meters of gas. These figures may seriously interfere with Russia's gambling with prices not only in the CIS but also in Europe. They may deal a heavy blow to the interests of the Kremlin with its stake in high prices rather than bigger volumes... In the future, cheaper Azeri gas from Shakh-Deniz will challenge Russia's gas." (Zerkalo, August 2).

KAZAKSTAN

Analysts are surprised that Moscow is not showing more interest in Ashgabat at the time when the United States is being increasingly open about its goals in Turkmenistan. Experts believe that President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov's declaration on gas cooperation with Russia and Kazakhstan in the Caspian will not be an obstacle to Turkmenistan's involvement in a project to build a new gas pipeline on the Caspian seabed, which will allow Central Asia to reach world markets bypassing Russia.

"For the time being, there is nothing more than diplomatic support. Russia has almost no investment or joint ventures in the republic; gas and oil cooperation between Moscow and Ashgabat (except the purchase of Turkmen gas for its resale to Europe) is at its infancy. Gazprom, the Russian gas monopoly, has made it clear more than once that it is impossible to talk about developing gas cooperation with Turkmenistan until independent auditors find out what gas reserves it has in reality and for how long it will be able to abide by its commitments." (Delovaya nedelya, August 6).

Commentators believe that a meeting of muftis from a number of North Caucasian republics with the U.S. president confirms the threat of separatism in Russia's Muslim regions. They maintain that the United States wants to surround Russia with unfriendly states and destroy it from within.

"Numerous world empires fell apart in the 20th century and Russia is the only one to still have this dubious status. This explains its many problems and contradictions. Some Western politicians do not mind playing it up. Recently, George W. Bush invited North Caucasian muftis to visit him. They met at his family compound with former U.S. President George Bush Sr.. This was a heavy blow to Russia's pride." (Aikyn Apta, August 2).

UZBEKISTAN

The media are writing that growing violence towards migrants from former Soviet republics and lack of police reaction to it is compelling them to take care of their security themselves.

"In Moscow, skinheads have been defeated by people from Central Asia.... Judging by all, nationalist-minded young people provoked a conflict with Asians. Some of the wounded belong to informal youth nationalist groups. But migrants from the Caucasus and Asia know better than to walk in Moscow at night without any protection. This time, Asians had a shiv with them." (Musulmansky Uzbekistan, August 2).

KYRGYZSTAN

Many analysts explain yet another rise in prices for foods and fuels by the Russian preference of the European market.

"As soon as our main suppliers Russia and Kazakhstan increased prime fuel costs, gas and diesel prices skyrocketed. Foreign oil producing and processing companies had to raise wholesale prices because fuel became more expensive all over the world. At the same time, the Russians stand to gain much more by exporting oil to those foreign countries which are paying a lot of money for it...." (web site of the Ar-Namys party, August 3).

TURKMENISTAN

Some analysts believe that relations between Russia and Turkmenistan are unlikely to improve soon. "Despite the optimistic forecasts and statements by Russian experts and politicians, Turkmenistan has not become closer to the Russian Federation. True, President [Gurbanguly] Berdymukhammedov maintains friendly relations with the Kremlin and flirts with Russian gas majors. However, the new Turkmen leader's priorities include consolidating the country's position in Central Asia and forging ties with China, which is now often referred to in Ashkhabad as a strategic partner. In addition, Berdymukhammedov is making a point of cooperating with Western companies." (Turkmenia.info, August 3).

TAJIKISTAN

The media believe that Central Asian countries are quite capable of solving their own problems and those of the region without Russian interference. "There is quite a lot of controversy and mutual recriminations in the region, but recent statements by Central Asian leaders indicate that they are willing and able to overcome those barriers. Kyrgyzstan has chosen Kazakhstan as its regional patron, while Tajikistan is apparently eyeing Turkmenistan. Dushanbe has recently assured Ashkhabad of its undying friendship, and will soon start receiving in response the 1 billion kWh of electricity it needs to make up shortfalls. Uzbekistan has forgotten all its grudges and offered President Berdymukhammedov its full support for the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline project in the hope of receiving certain dividends: first, the pipeline, if laid, will cross Uzbekistan, and second, Tashkent will be able to export its own gas to China as a participant in the project." (Sobytia, August 2).

Source: http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070810/70901072.html

[skhara]

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

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6942646.stm

Russia unveils air defence plan
Vladimir Putin (R) visits Lekhtusi radar station
The new radar station was built in just 18 months
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced what he called a vast programme to upgrade the country's missile defence system.

Visiting a new radar early-warning station near St Petersburg, Mr Putin said it was the first step in a major construction project lasting till 2015.

Russia has grave concerns about plans to deploy parts of a new US missile defence system in Eastern Europe.

Mr Putin has warned that Russia will take measures to counter the plan.

The US insists its programme is aimed to deal with threats from countries such as Iran and North Korea, and says Russia should have nothing to fear.

Russia has offered a compromise solution, which would allow the US to share use of a radar installation in Azerbaijan.

Mr Putin described the new early-warning station - at Lekhtusi, 50km north of St Petersburg - as "the first step in the implementation of a major early-warning programme up to the year 2015".

The station was built in just 18 months and opened in December last year.

It replaces the Soviet Union's Skrunda radar station in Latvia, which was dismantled in 1998.

A similar installation is under construction at Armavir in southern Russia.