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Russia aims to upgrade nuclear arsenal
Russian president says country needs to modernize military and nuclear arsenal. Dmitry Medvedev gives commanders until December to draw up modernization plan. He says "guaranteed nuclear deterrent system" must be in place by 2020. Brief war with Georgia highlighted Russia's aging arsenal, Medvedev said. Russian president says country needs to modernize military and nuclear arsenal. Dmitry Medvedev gives commanders until December to dr... more
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Russia engages in 'gangland' diplomacy as it sends warship to the Caribb...
Russia flexed its muscles in America’s backyard yesterday as it sent one of its largest warships to join military exercises in the Caribbean. The nuclear-powered flagship Peter the Great set off for Venezuela with the submarine destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and two support vessels in the first Russian naval mission in Latin America since the end of the Cold War.
“The St Andrew flag, the flag of the Russian Navy, is confidently returning to the world oceans,” Igor Dygalo, a spokesman for the Russian Navy, said. He declined to comment on Russian newspaper reports that nuclear submarines were also part of the expedition.
The voyage to join the Venezuelan Navy for manoeuvres came only days after Russian strategic nuclear bombers made their first visit to the country. Hugo Chávez, the President, said then that the arrival of the strike force was a warning to the US. The vehemently antiAmerican Venezuelan leader is due to visit Dmitri Medvedev, the Russian President, in Moscow this week as part of a tour that includes visits to Cuba and China.
Peter the Great is armed with 20 nuclear cruise missiles and up to 500 surface-to-air missiles, making it one of the most formidable warships in the world. The Kremlin has courted Venezuela and Cuba as tensions with the West soared over the proposed US missile shield in Eastern Europe and the Russian invasion of Georgia last month. Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, said recently that Russia should “restore its position in Cuba” – the nation where deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles in 1962 brought Russia and the United States to the brink of nuclear war.
this cannot be good... Russia flexed its muscles in America’s backyard yesterday as it sent one of its largest warships to join military exercises in the Car... more -
Russia warns of new Iron Curtain
President Dmitri Medvedev has accused the West of trying to push Russia behind a new "Iron Curtain".
"This is not our path. For us there is no sense going back to the past," the Russian leader said in Moscow.
He also blamed Nato for provoking last month's fighting between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia.
His comments come a day after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Russia was becoming increasingly aggressive abroad.
In a strongly-worded speech, Ms Rice said Moscow was on a "one-way path to isolation and irrelevance".
Diplomatic relations between the US and its European allies, on one side, and Russia on the other, have been strained by the Georgian conflict.
Lambasting Nato
"We are in effect being pushed down a path that is founded not on fully-fledged, civilised partnership with other countries, but on autonomous development, behind thick walls, behind an Iron Curtain," President Medvedev said.
He said that Moscow would not allow this to happen, adding that he did not want disputes with the West.
Mr Medvedev also said that Nato's role in the Georgian conflict proved that the military bloc was unable to provide security in Europe.
"What has Nato done, what has it guaranteed? It only provoked the conflict. That's all," he said.
The fighting began on 7 August when Georgia tried to retake its breakaway region of South Ossetia by force after a series of lower-level clashes.
Russia launched a counter-attack and the Georgian troops were ejected from both South Ossetia and Abkhazia - another Georgia's rebel region - several days later.
The Kremlin later recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states. So far, Nicaragua is the only other country to have done so. President Dmitri Medvedev has accused the West of trying to push Russia behind a new "Iron Curtain". ... more -
Russia threatens to seize swathe of Arctic... "global warming is good for Rus...
"We must finalise and adopt a federal law on the southern border of Russia's Arctic zone," Mr Medvedev told a meeting of the Security Council, in remarks carried by Interfax news agency.
"This is our responsibility, and simply our direct duty, to our descendents," he said. "We must surely, and for the long-term future, secure Russia's interests in the Arctic."
Global warming has stepped up the fight for the disputed Arctic, believed to be laden with vast reserves of oil and gas. Russia has pitted itself against Canada, Denmark, Norway and the United States to fight for a greater part of the region, arguing that most of it is Russian territory since an underwater ridge links Siberia to the North Pole's seabed.
Last August, a Russian mini-submarine carrying politicians and scientists plunged to the depths of the Arctic and claimed to plant a Russian flag to mark ...
(Read The Rest at Link...) "We must finalise and adopt a federal law on the southern border of Russia's Arctic zone," Mr Medvedev told a meeting o... more -
In Wake of Georgian War, Russian Media Feel Heat
At the height of the crisis over Russia's invasion of Georgia last month, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin summoned the top executives of his nation's most influential newspapers and broadcasters to a private meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The Kremlin controls much of the Russian media, and Putin occasionally meets with friendly groups of senior journalists to answer questions and guide news coverage. On Aug. 29, though, for the first time in five years, he also invited the editor in chief of Echo Moskvy, the only national radio station that routinely broadcasts opposition voices.
For several minutes, according to people who attended the session or were briefed about it, Putin berated the editor in front of his peers, criticizing Echo's coverage of the war with Georgia and reading from a dossier of transcripts to point out what he considered errors.
"I'm not interested in who said these things," one participant quoted Putin telling the editor, Alexei Venediktov. "You are responsible for everything that goes on at the radio station. I don't know who they are, but I know who you are... "
(Read The Rest at Link...) At the height of the crisis over Russia's invasion of Georgia last month, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin summoned the top executiv... more -
Dmitry Medvedev says Georgia attack is 'Russia's 9/11'
President Medvedev of Russia today likened last month’s war with Georgia to the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, and vowed that the Kremlin would go to any lengths in future to protect its regional interests and Russian citizens everywhere.
Speaking to foreign academics and journalists at the giant GUM department store opposite the Kremlin, the Russian leader stepped up his defiant rhetoric against the West, which is fast becoming the hallmark of his short presidency.
“The world has changed and it occurred to me that August 8, 2008 has become for Russia what September 11, 2001 was for the United States. This is an accurate comparison corresponding to Russian realities,” he said.
“Humankind has drawn lessons from the September 11 tragedy and other tragic events. I would like the world to draw lessons also from these events (in the Caucasus),” he said.
By this he means that in future he wants the outside world to take Russia’s interests into consideration before taking steps, such as the eastward expansion of Nato to countries like Georgia and Ukraine and the deployment of US interceptor missiles to Poland.
If not, Mr Medvedev gave warning that he would defend the Kremlin’s interests by force if necessary, particularly in “Russian zones of interest”, namely the areas which once made up the former Soviet Union. He added that he would be meeting his defence and industry ministers shortly to reequip the Russian military with modern arms. President Medvedev of Russia today likened last month’s war with Georgia to the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, and vowed t... more -
Medvedev: Russia must 'be reckoned with'
MOSCOW - President Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday the war with Georgia has shown the world that "Russia is a nation to be reckoned with" — his most aggressive comments to date on the conflict with Russia's southern neighbor.
Medvedev said the fighting in August was forced upon Russia and insisted that Russia had to act to save lives. He spoke at the opening of State Council, a high-level government body made up of governors and others.
"Russia will never allow anyone to infringe upon the lives and dignity of its citizens. Russia is a nation to be reckoned with from now on," Medvedev said.
"We have reached a moment of truth. It became a different world after Aug. 8. Let's call things as they should be called — because of this aggression, a real war took place, which took the lives of Russians, Ossetians and Georgians," he said.
The conflict over South Ossetia showcased Russia's resurgent military and economic clout and has presented the strongest challenge to the West since the end of the Cold War.
Russia considered many people in South Ossetia its citizens because it gave them passports even though the separatist territory was in Georgia.
Medvedev also criticized the United States and other Western nations, though not by name, for challenging Russia's intervention in Georgia, which started after Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia's main city on Aug. 7.
"Millions of people supported us, but we've heard no words of support and understanding from those who in the same circumstances pontificate about free elections and national dignity and the need to use force to punish an aggressor," Medvedev said. MOSCOW - President Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday the war with Georgia has shown the world that "Russia is a nation to be reckoned... more -
New Russian world order: the five principles
In the aftermath of the Georgian conflict, the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has laid down five principles that he says will guide Russian foreign policy.
Here are the principles, in the words which President Medvedev used in an interview with the three main Russian TV channels (translated by the BBC Monitoring Service).
1. International law
"Russia recognises the primacy of the basic principles of international law, which define relations between civilised nations. It is in the framework of these principles, of this concept of international law, that we will develop our relations with other states."
2. Multi-polar world
"The world should be multi-polar. Unipolarity is unacceptable, domination is impermissible. We cannot accept a world order in which all decisions are taken by one country, even such a serious and authoritative country as the United States of America. This kind of world is unstable and fraught with conflict."
3. No isolation
"Russia does not want confrontation with any country; Russia has no intention of isolating itself. We will develop, as far as possible, friendly relations both with Europe and with the United State of America, as well as with other countries of the world."
4. Protect citizens
"Our unquestionable priority is to protect the life and dignity of our citizens, wherever they are. We will also proceed from this in pursuing our foreign policy. We will also protect the interest of our business community abroad. And it should be clear to everyone that if someone makes aggressive forays, he will get a response."
5. Spheres of influence
"Russia, just like other countries in the world, has regions where it has its privileged interests. In these regions, there are countries with which we have traditionally had friendly cordial relations, historically special relations. We will work very attentively in these regions and develop these friendly relations with these states, with our close neighbours."
Asked if these "priority regions" were those that bordered on Russia he replied: "Certainly the regions bordering [on Russia], but not only them."
And he stated: "As regards the future, it depends not just on us. It also depends on our friends, our partners in the international community. They have a choice." In the aftermath of the Georgian conflict, the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has laid down five principles that he says will guide... more -
Ex-Soviet states fear Russian aggression
Moscow's recent offensive in the Caucasus region has former Soviet republics worried. They see it as a return to old imperialist policies and fear they could be the next victims of Russian aggression. How much at risk are Ukraine and Moldova?
Russia's invasion of Georgia shocked its neighbors, so much so that many people in the Baltic republics and in Poland are worried that they could be next. As Russia flexes its imperialist muscles, there are growing fears that former Soviet republics could face threats to their very existence.
Ironically, these countries are not just members of the European Union, but are also protected under NATO's mutual defense guarantee. Hence, it comes as no surprise that citizens of Moldova and Ukraine, members of neither the EU nor NATO, see the situation as even more troubling.
During a meeting in the Black Sea port of Sochi on Aug. 26, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin against forcefully attempting to regain control over Transnistria, a region that seceded from Moldova in 1992. After the meeting, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner emphatically warned Russia against intervening in Moldova and Ukraine. But how serious, in fact, is the risk?
(continued at link) Moscow's recent offensive in the Caucasus region has former Soviet republics worried. They see it as a return to old imperialist ... more -
Interview: Russians Have Crossed a Red Line
What should the West do about Russia. Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told SPIEGEL that the West needs to work together -- and look for ways to isolate Russia internationally.
SPIEGEL: Madame Secretary, Russian troops are still in Georgia. Moscow has recognized the independence of the Georgian provinces South Ossetia and Abkhazia and promised them military assistance if necessary. Are we at the beginning of a new Cold War?
Albright: Well, we can't be at the beginning of a new Cold War. That would be a huge step backwards. On the other hand, we can't afford to stay on the sidelines in this complicated situation. With the invasion of a sovereign country, the Russians have crossed the red line. What is troubling is that Russia is behaving in a way that reminds us of the Russian empire in the 19th century -- that is unacceptable in the 21st century.
SPIEGEL: If you were still US Secretary of State, what would you tell the Russians?
Albright: First of all, I would have gone to Moscow, unlike the current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. It is very important to be direct. I would tell them: That is not acceptable behavior -- but also reassure them not to worry about security threats at their borders. I would tell them that they simply misjudged the situation. That has to be corrected.
SPIEGEL: Who would you have delivered your message to? Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin or Russian President Dmitry Medvedev?
Albright: Putin, whatever he calls himself, is in charge. There were many questions about the fact that he had given up the presidency. It is now very clear that he is still calling the shots and has created a Russia that in many ways is not compatible with the 21st century. We want to be able to have a cooperative relationship but the Russians currently make it much more complicated.
(interview continued at link) What should the West do about Russia. Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told SPIEGEL that the West needs to work togethe... more -
President Medvedev of Russia offers to help train the Afghan police
Russia is planning to send members of its security forces to train their counterparts in Afghanistan for the first time since the Soviet Union withdrew from the country in 1989, The Times has learnt.
At a meeting with President Karzai in Tajikistan last week President Medvedev offered to send 225 Russian police officers to help to train the Afghan National Police (ANP), according to Afghan officials. Mr Karzai, who met the Russian leader at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Thursday, accepted his offer and the details are being discussed, the officials said.
The Afghan Interior Ministry confirmed that there was a verbal agreement, and an official at the Russian Embassy said that there could be more information later this week.
The number may be tiny compared with the 70,000 or so troops from Nato, the US and its allies now deployed in Afghanistan, some of whom are already training the ANP, but the agreement highlights Russia’s determination to reassert its influence in Central Asia, the Caucasus and other regions that it sees as lying within its strategic “sphere of influence”.
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Read the whole article at link. Russia is planning to send members of its security forces to train their counterparts in Afghanistan for the first time since the Sovi... more -
Meeting Russia's new 'Number One'
The summons calling the BBC to the Black Sea Resort of Sochi for an interview with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev came with just over 24 hours' notice.
Once we had arrived, it didn't take long to realise why he had suddenly decided to open up to the global media.
He wanted the chance to justify to the world Russia's defiant decision to recognise independence for Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
"A momentous day," he said, as he sat down for the interview.
"And an unexpected announcement?" I ventured.
Quite a few commentators in Russia and abroad had speculated that President Medvedev would not rush to endorse the parliament's decision.
Analysts had expected him to wait and evaluate whether a unilateral recognition of the breakaway regions would cost Russia too much diplomatically.
Video at link... The summons calling the BBC to the Black Sea Resort of Sochi for an interview with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev came with just ov... more -
Georgia and the West will not reconcile to a victory of Russia and will try to bre...
For last days disturbing interest to events of the Russian-Georgian conflict began to weaken. It would seem, the convincing victory of the Russian armed forces waits only for the confirmation by the international diplomacy. However, many things indicate that the present phase of the conflict is not finishing. Not repented Georgian authorities actively prepare for a revenge with the strengthened support by their patrons USA and NATO.
First, the Russian General Staff has found a regrouping and repeated concentration of the Georgian army near to a zone of the conflict. Secondly, the military ships of NATO in Black sea arouse excessive suspicion though under the official version they have arrived with humanitarian mission.
It is easy to surmise, that if Russia will disengage the armies from Georgia under enormous pressing by the West, new aggression against Russian, Ossetian and Abkhazian will begin. Last release of the author’s program of the doctor of political sciences, professor Alexander Dugin «Russkaja Vesch» («Russian thing») has been dedicated to this problem.
At the beginning of his radio-session geopolitician has dispelled error, that the Russian-Georgian conflict is completed: «Anything yet has not ended». «On August, 8th we have risen in the face of the Third World War, its danger continues to be kept more strongly since times of the Caribbean crisis», - mister Dugin is assured.
The professor claims, that the American strategists insist upon the prompt disengagement of the Russian armies from the Georgian territory that to take these positions. The Georgian army will be re-equipped and prepared for counterattack on southern boundaries of Russia.
Having concentrated the forces along borders with South Ossetia, Georgia has already broken Medvedev-Sarkozy plan. Naturally, western representatives don’t take note of this fact. If the parties treat with this document so free, edit it under own discretion, all these agreements stand nothing. So the problem is solved by the unique factor - power. Therefore all persist in the disengagement of the Russian armies from Georgia, therefore to act so is impossible. So Dugin maintains.
Natural result of this process – the new storm of Tskhinval. Supporting alone positions of the plan of Medvedev-Sarkozy, Russia gives an opportunity of the first decisive blow for the opponent. The «Russian thing» author declares, that «the program a minimum» (Lenin’s idiom) which consists in performance of the signed agreement, makes us defenceless before an opportunity of repeated aggression. As after August, 8th ambitions of America have suffered, its reciprocal attack will be more resolute and severe. «Our military operation was a shock for Americans. Our military victories is a trauma for the West. It will revenge Russia for every hour, for every second of the existence in such world», - the geopolitician is assured.
For prevention of an artful revenge of Russia it is necessary to cease to consider international legal relations literally and to carry out that Dugin names «the program a maximum» (again Lenin’s idiom). It includes renewal of approach to the South, storm of Tbilisi, final destruction of the Georgian military machine and prevention of occupation of Caucasus by forces of NATO.
Dugin emphasizes, that direct collision between Russian and American (NATO) armies is impossible. Such conflict is automatically translated into «nuclear equivalent». Having comparable nuclear potentials, powers do not presume to wage direct war. Professor reminds, that such situation ruled during all «cold war» - in Vietnam and Afghanistan. If one of world powers has been involved in the conflict directly, the second resisted to it in an underhand way. For last days disturbing interest to events of the Russian-Georgian conflict began to weaken. It would seem, the convincing victory of... more -
Medvedev decorates Russians in Georgia war
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev awarded medals Monday to servicemen involved in the conflict in Georgia, calling it a peacemaking operation that will be remembered as one of the "glorious deeds" of the Russian military.
"It has been only 10 days since you faced a cowardly aggression. You stopped a full-scale operation," Medvedev said.
He also proposed to later present medals or awards to volunteer fighters from South Ossetia and North Ossetia, the Russian province where Vladikavkaz is located.
"What Georgian authorities have done is beyond human understanding. It cannot be understood and left unpunished," he said. "The world realized that even now there are political freaks who were ready to kill innocent people for the sake of political fashions and who compensated for their own stupidity by eliminating a whole nation."
"If someone thinks that our citizens can be killed, soldiers and officers who are peacekeepers killed with impunity, we will never permit that," he said in televised comments.
"Anyone who tries anything like that will face a crushing response," he said. "We have the strength and wherewithal for this — economic, political and military." Russian President Dmitry Medvedev awarded medals Monday to servicemen involved in the conflict in Georgia, calling it a peacemaking op... more -
Medvedev signs six-point truce with Georgia
The problem is, the document that Georgia signed (which Condoleezza Rice brought to Saakashvili) differs from the document brought to Russia. In a sense, this could make the agreement moot. The problem is, the document that Georgia signed (which Condoleezza Rice brought to Saakashvili) differs from the document brought to ... more
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Georgia and Russia declare ceasefire
The Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, has signed a ceasefire pact to end hostilities in Georgia.
The deal calls for Russian troops to pull back from Georgia but also grants them limited patrols inside the country.
The Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, reluctantly signed the plan yesterday while accusing the Russians of being "evil" and "21st century barbarians".
Russia had been refusing to pull back their forces until Saakashvili signed the six-point ceasefire plan which was brokered by the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, earlier this week.
Kremlin sources today confirmed that Russia had signed the pact.
"The president informed participants of the security council meeting that he had just now signed the six-point plan," said the Kremlin's chief spokeswoman, Natalia Timakova.
Under the plan, some emotive issues remain open to interpretation – including whether Georgia is able to send troops back into areas of South Ossetia.
The ceasefire agreement should prompt international talks to define the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, has signed a ceasefire pact to end hostilities in Georgia. ... more -
Tense Georgia awaits russian truce signature, will they sign? Will they leave?
Russian soldiers dug foxholes 30 miles outside of Georgia's capital Saturday while Georgian police milled about, a quietly tense scene reflecting the uncertainty in the troubled region as both sides waited for Russia's president to sign a proposed truce.
The cease-fire agreement, signed by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili the day before, would be a definitive step toward ending the fighting that broke out last week if Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also signs it. The Kremlin says he will do so, but without saying when. Russian soldiers dug foxholes 30 miles outside of Georgia's capital Saturday while Georgian police milled about, a quietly tense ... more -
Georgian President signs cease fire, criticizes US
A reluctant Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Friday he signed a cease-fire agreement with Russia and declared in the presence of the chief U.S. diplomat that the West had behaved in ways that invited the invasion.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she had been assured that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will sign an identical document. The United States says the pact protects the former Soviet republic's interests despite concessions to Moscow.
An emotional Saakashvili said he will "never, ever surrender" in the showdown with much-larger Russia.
"You are dealing with a people who despise anyting human," Saakashvili said of invading Russian forces.
Saakashvili said the West sent a disastrous signal to Russia by denying Georgia a door to NATO membership. A reluctant Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Friday he signed a cease-fire agreement with Russia and declared in the presen... more -
Who's really in charge of Russia?
Putin has 'stepped down' but he seems more in the spotlight than ever. Apparently Medvedev doesn't ever give Putin orders. Is Putin really a dictator for life? Putin has 'stepped down' but he seems more in the spotlight than ever. Apparently Medvedev doesn't ever give Putin orde... more
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Is this the first war between Russia and a former Soviet State?
The world is looking to the Caucasus region with dismay. President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia has sent his country's forces into the breakaway region of South Ossetia, and its protector, Russia, has retaliated by sending in tanks and aircraft. Is a region that is home to all of 75,000 people about to become the scene of a hot war?
The South Ossetian coat of arms depicts a snow leopard raising its paw in a threatening gesture, against a backdrop of impregnable mountains. The warlike South Ossetians' most famous son was a man whose name alone instills fear: Josef Stalin.
But none of this was enough to deter Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili when he ordered his army to invade Tskhinvali, the capital of separatist South Ossetia, a region in the center of Georgia, on Thursday night. Skirmishes had been going on for weeks, and on Thursday evening Saakashvili had even announced a ceasefire. But then, at around midnight, Georgian forces attacked in an effort "to reestablish constitutional order," as a high-ranking Georgian general described it.
Within hours Georgian units, using rockets and fighter jets, had apparently demolished entire streets of Tskhinvali. The "president" of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, a former freestyle wrestler, said on Friday evening that an estimated 1,400 people had died and characterized the Georgian invasion as ethnic cleansing. Saakashvili, however, announced the mobilization of 100,000 reservists.
Read more... The world is looking to the Caucasus region with dismay. President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia has sent his country's forces i... more
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Dmitry Medvedev
