Why Russia Is Really Weak

Posted by Matt in July 20th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Russia, general, Alcoholism, Birthrates, Civic Organizations, Corruption, Death Rates, Dmitry Medvedev, Flourishes, Home Experts, kremlin, Message To The World, Military Army, Newsweek, Oil And Gas, Oil And Gas Prices, Political Corruption, Political Parties, Political Positions, Red Square, Rule Of Law, Russian Army, Russian Tanks, Russians, Secret Police, Security Services, Trickle, Vladimir Putin, Weaponry

The Military
Army remains poorly trained, malnourished and demoralized. Alcoholism, suicide and corruption are rife. Weaponry is aging and newer models arrive at a trickle: India has bought more Russian tanks since 2001 than the Russian Army.
The Economy
What happens when–not if–oil and gas prices begin to retreat?
Human Capital
Russia’s human capital is being ravaged. The population is [...]

Russia’s weaponry shows signs of age

Posted by Matt in July 17th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Military, Russia, 1980s, Advanced Armaments, arsenal, Decades, Lenin S Tomb, Missiles, Pervasive Corruption, Planes, Red Square, Russia, Showcase, Signs, tanks, Victory Day, Weaponry

But Russia’s own state-run defense industries, experts say, face a crumbling manufacturing base and pervasive corruption; they have produced little in the way of advanced armaments in the Putin era.
The Victory Day parade in Red Square in May was intended to showcase the nation’s military might. Instead, Russia’s arsenal showed its age. Most of the [...]

Moscow: 65 Meters Underground in a Secret Bunker

Posted by Matt in July 13th, 2008 | 1 comment

Published in Russia, Shelters, Alcoholics, Bolshoi Theatre, Citizens, moscow, Notions, Poll Results, Red Square, Russia, Russia Pictures, Russian Pictures, Russians, Secret Bunker, St Basil, St Basil S Cathedral, Third World, Tourists, Traveller, Tretyakov Gallery, tunnels, Underground, Ussr, World Superpower

The Red Square, St. Basil`s Cathedral, Tretyakov Gallery, the Bolshoi Theatre are amongst the “standard” must-see attractions in Moscow for a foreign traveller. However, there are a number of places in Moscow foreign tourists are rarely shown. One of them is restricted USSR military object – Secured Command Post «Taganskiy» (GO-42), located 65 meters underground.
Kotelnicheskii [...]

Why Is Moscow Risking a New Cold War?

Posted by Matt in June 25th, 2008 | no comment

Published in New Cold War, Battleships, Billions, Bombers, Cold-War, Displays, Enemies, Flexing Muscles, kremlin, Mediterranean, Moscow Russia, Neef, New War, New Weapons, Nuclear Arms Race, Photo Gallery, Pomp, Red Square, Russian Military

Strategic bombers off the American coast, battleships in the Mediterranean — the Russian military is displaying its might once again with Moscow pumping billions into new weapons. But where does the Kremlin see its enemies today, and why is it risking another nuclear arms race with Washington? By Christian Neef more… [ Forum ]

Flexing Muscles [...]

Red as in Rust

Posted by Matt in May 27th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Military, Russia, Bluster, Conventional Forces, Deck Defense, First Glimpse, Flight Deck, Geoff Morrell, Intelligence Officers, Military Hardware, Military Observers, Military Parades, New Weapon, Nuclear Attack, Nuclear Forces, Pentagon Spokesman, Red Square, Rust, Soviet Army, Steep Decline, Video Russia, Vladimir Dvorkin, Weapon System

Yes, Russia’s military is falling apart. So where do I get off claiming that America needs to worry about a nuclear attack from Russia? It is Russia’s nuclear forces that we need to worry about not their conventional forces.
Russia’s nuclear forces have problems too. They’re falling apart as well. However, these nuclear forces are still [...]

A Voice of Mother Russia, in English

Posted by Matt in May 18th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Russia, Aspirations, English Language, European Union, European Union Membership, Evil Empire, Fears, Journalists, kremlin, Language News, Military Parades, Mother Russia, putin, Red Square, Russia Corruption, Russia Today, Russian Government, Scourge, Street Thugs, Trump, Vladimir

JUDGING from the news lately, Russia is well on its way to restoring that old Evil Empire image. Military parades have returned to Red Square. Key businesses are choked by corruption or are under state control. Journalists who probe too deeply turn up dead. And critics of the Kremlin are jailed, pushed out of elections [...]

Tanks Roll Over Russia’s Image

Posted by Matt in May 12th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Russia, Cold-War, Era, Image Problem, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, Intimidation, Leadership, Neighbors, Prime Minister, Red Square, Remnants, Russia, Russian Missiles, tanks, Victory Day, Vladimir Putin

I don’t know about you, but the sight of Russian missiles rolling across Red Square made me a little nervous. It’s the Russian way of subtle intimidation.
From the article:
If anyone was having trouble grasping the fact that Russia has an image problem, the sight of intercontinental ballistic missiles rolling across Red Square on Victory Day [...]

Moscow holds massive military parade

Posted by Matt in May 9th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Russia, Anniversary, Armed Forces, Cadets, Dmitry Medvedev, Flag Carriers, Germany In World War Ii, Honour Guard, kremlin, Military Honour, Military Parade, moscow, Moscow Russia, New President, Prime Minister, Red Flag, Red Square, Russian Federation, State Duma, Victory, Vladimir Putin, world-war-II

Russia’s new President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have surveyed a massive military parade in Moscow’s Red Square a day after the State Duma confirmed Putin in the premiership.
Flag-carriers from a military honour guard led the parade to mark the 63rd anniversary of Russia’s victory over Germany in World War II.
The cadets carried [...]

Russia: Is The USSR Back In Vogue?

Posted by Matt in May 6th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Russia, Former Glory, Free Rein, Hallmarks, Military Tradition, Political Analyst, putin, Red Square, Russia, Soviet Empire, tanks, Ussr, Victory Day, Vogue

Dmitry Oreshkin, a Russian political analyst, says beefing up the Victory Day parade is just one of many steps that Putin has taken toward resurrecting the hallmarks of the Soviet empire and the country’s former glory.
“He gives free rein to the Soviet dream,” Oreshkin says. “The huge number of people who were brought up in [...]

Experts say Red Square parade masks weakened Russia military

Posted by Matt in May 5th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Russia, Army, Boris Nemtsov, Bottom Line, Corruption, Government Ministers, Masks, moscow, Pension System, Public Health, Red Square, Research Foundation, Russia, Secondary Education, Vladimir

But the army, the pension system, public health, secondary education and the road system have all eroded on Putin’s watch, former government ministers Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Milov wrote in a recent report, “Putin: The Bottom Line.”
The main cause, they charge, is “Russia’s dive into an unprecedented mire of corruption” that flows throughout the government.
INDEM, [...]