Russia beefs up arsenal
Putin announces 40 new ballistic missiles for nuclear stockpile
PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin has announced Russia would add more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal this year, a move likely to increase alarm in the West.
Mr Putin unveiled his plan a day after Russian officials denounced a US plan to station tanks and heavy weapons in Nato states on Russia’s border as the most aggressive act by Washington since the Cold War.
Tension has resurged between Russia and Western powers over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis, in which pro-Russian separatist forces have seized a large part of the country’s east after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in early 2014.
The West, led by the EU and US, have imposed punitive economic sanctions on Russia.
“More than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles able to overcome even the most technically advanced anti-missile defence systems will be added to the make-up of the nuclear arsenal this year,” Mr Putin, flanked by army officers, said in a speech at an arms fair west of Moscow.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles have a minimum range of more than 3,400 miles. Mr Putin gave no more details of which missiles were being added to the nuclear arsenal.
He also mentioned Armata tanks and other new armoured vehicles, which were first shown to the public during a Red Square military parade last month.
He has said several times Russia must maintain its nuclear deterrence to counter what he sees as growing security threats, and Moscow reserves the right to deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea.
Such comments have helped whip up anti-Western sentiment and rally support behind Mr Putin but have caused concern in the West, particularly countries on or near Russia’s borders.
Russian officials warned on Monday Moscow would retaliate if the US carried out its plan to store heavy military equipment in eastern Europe, including in the Baltic states once in the Soviet Union.
“The feeling is that our colleagues from Nato countries are pushing us into an arms race,” Deputy Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov said.
The US and the EU have slapped Russia with economic sanctions over Ukraine, and Washington and its Nato allies have pondered an array of measures in response to Russia’s moves.
The three Baltic members of the alliance, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have asked Nato to permanently deploy ground troops to their nations as a deterrent against an increasingly assertive Russia.
Mr Putin has said Moscow will not be drawn into a new arms race although Russia is modernising its armed forces.
He added that 70 per cent of the military equipment in use would by 2020 be the most up-to-date and top-quality.
But lavish military spending is weighing heavily on Russia’s national budget at a time when the economy is sliding towards recession.
The Kremlin portrays spending on the Russian arms sector as a driver of economic growth, but Mr Putin’s critics say it is excessive and comes at the expense of social needs.