2007年VOA标准英语-Despite Increased Attention on Russian Military

Recent news from Russia has involved a flurry of military affairs - the introduction of new weapons, the suspension of a key international treaty, training exercises, and most recently, a missile incident in neighboring Georgia.  VOA Moscow Correspondent Peter Fedynsky takes a closer look at these developments.

TU-160 strategic bomber1

In recent weeks, other Russian military matters have been in the news. 

In a nostalgic look back, Russia marked the 60th anniversary of the Kalashnikov rifle. 

President Vladimir Putin last month suspended Russian participation³ on the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty.  And Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov threatened to deploy⁴ missiles in Kaliningrad if NATO installs a missile defense⁵ system in Poland. 

Last week, the country celebrated⁶ Army Paratrooper Day, and on Tuesday, the Russian military upgraded its missile defense system around Moscow. 

General Yuri Baluyevsky, chief of staff of the Russian Armed Forces, gave a personal report about the system and its S-400 missile to President Putin.

Vladimir Putin

President Putin welcomed the general's report.

"I congratulate all of the engineers, workers, military officers and all who worked on resolving and completing the task," said Mr. Putin.

The flurry of military news puts the Russian armed forces in a good light following a period of stagnation⁸ and decline after the collapse⁹ of the Soviet¹⁰ Union. 

But independent Russian military analyst¹¹ Alexander Khramchekhin told VOA that deployment¹² of the S-400 was delayed for nearly seven years because of development problems.  He said this is one of many signs that the stagnation period is not over.

He said to a significant degree the restoration of the Russian Army is public relations, not reality. 

"This is partly an attempt to resolve a psychological complex, in other words, to show that we were weak, but have become as strong as before.  This is largely a propaganda campaign for domestic rather than foreign consumption," he noted¹³.

Khramchekhin adds that Russian oil resources are giving this country more money than it has probably ever had.

Another matter is how effectively money appropriated for military needs is being used, he said.

"Actually, our military budget is not bad, but acquisitions of military hardware are microscopic¹⁴ in scale," he added.

The Russian military also has a personnel problem.  The country's bloody¹⁵ and costly¹⁶ fight with Chechen separatists in the Caucasus, as well as brutal¹⁷ military hazing¹⁸ have led to widespread draft dodging¹⁹ among the country's young men.

remains20 of the rocket near Tsitelubani, South Ossetia, Georgia, 07 Aug. 2007" hspace="2" src="http://www.tingroom.com/upimg/allimg/070811/1124212.jpg" width="211" vspace="2" border="0" />

Georgian specialists examine the remains of the rocket near Tsitelubani, South Ossetia, Georgia, 07 Aug 2007

Relations between the two countries have plummeted²³ over Russia's support for separatists in Georgia's South Ossetia region, and also because of Kremlin opposition²⁴ to Georgia's increasingly pro-Western orientation²⁵.