Putin calls for army upgrade
MOSCOW, Feb 27, (Agencies): Russian President Vladimir Putin told the country’s top brass on Wednesday to drastically upgrade the armed forces in the next few years as part of response to attempts by the United States and NATO to “tip the strategic balance” in the world.
In his address to Russia’s defense ministry and top military officials, Putin said Russia is witnessing “insistent attempts” to change that balance and complained about US plans to create a new missile defense system in Europe and the potential expansion of NATO to former Soviet republics.
“Geopolitical developments call for our response to be well-calculated and quick,” Putin said, according to a transcript of his speech on the Kremlin’s website. “The Russian armed forces must move to a dramatically new level of capabilities as soon as in the next three to five years.”
Goal
The stated goal of the multibilliondollar missile defense system planned for Europe is to protect the US from Iranian missiles. But Russia has repeatedly criticized the plan, claiming it really is intended to counter its own missiles.
Putin blasted the legacy of former Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov who was dismissed in November 2012 amid a corruption scandal involving billions of rubles reportedly embezzled by the ministry and affiliated firms.
While Putin linked the ouster to the corruption probe, most experts believe that Serdyukov was sacked because of an intensifying behindthe-scenes battle for the distribution of 23 trillion rubles ($750 billion) that the Kremlin plans to spend on buying new weapons through 2020.
Serdyukov demanded higher quality and cheaper prices from the military industry, often refusing to sign new contracts for months. He criticized arms makers for continuing to produce Soviet-era designs instead of developing new weapons, angering industry leaders with strong Kremlin connections. Under Serdyukov, the military purchased amphibious assault vessels from France, bought Israeli drones, Italian armored vehicles and other foreign weapons.
The current defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, has confirmed plans to form a new naval squadron that would patrol the Mediterranean Sea.
A small maintenance and supply base in Syria’s Tartus, Russia’s only naval outpost outside the former Soviet Union, is under threat because of the civil war there.
Also: MOSCOW: Russia’s main investigative body claimed Wednesday that Alexei Navalny, the charismatic leader of protests against President Vladimir Putin, illegally obtained his licence to practise law.
Investigators said in a statement that the opposition leader and one of Russia’s most popular bloggers gave “inaccurate” information to the bar.
It was unclear which laws Navalny allegedly broke and what charges he may face.
Navalny, already the subject of several criminal probes, responded on Twitter by calling the allegations “complete rubbish”.
The investigators said that Navalny claimed to the bar that he had a few years experience as a deputy director in charge of legal affairs at a company but that in fact this was his own company where he was general director.
They said he also exaggerated the length of time he worked there and alleged that he refused to testify when asked about the allegations.
The opposition leader wrote on his Livejournal blog that he briefly met with an investigator Wednesday regarding one of the probes, but his lawyer licence was not discussed. He said Wednesday’s statement apparently referred to an interrogation dating back to August 2012. BERLIN: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that his US counterpart John Kerry had acknowledged problems in cases of US-adopted Russian orphans and promised “full transparency”.
The issue of adoptions of Russian orphans by US nationals has become a major sticking point in bilateral ties and has triggered an unprecedented standoff in recent weeks.
“We discussed problems with adoptions of Russian children in detail,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
“John Kerry acknowledged that these problems are not made up, that they are real and assured (us) that he will personally take all necessary measures to ensure full transparency for us and accountability in this sphere in the United States.”
“I believe that this is a very important statement,” Lavrov was quoted as telling reporters after his closelywatched meeting with America’s top diplomat.
“We will make sure that these words are translated into practical deeds,” Lavrov said.