Russia has military friends in its Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO: members listed below). Iran is
Member statesWikipedia Stamp of Kazakhstan, 2012
Current members
Armenia (1994)
Belarus (1994)
Kazakhstan (1994)
Kyrgyzstan (1994)
Russia (1994)
Tajikistan (1994)
Observers
Afghanistan (2013)
Serbia (2013)
Possible candidates
Iran
Former members
Azerbaijan (1994-1999)
Georgia (1994-1999)
Uzbekistan (1994-1999, 2006-2012)
All of the following excerpts are from the
CIA World Factbook (as accessed on 29OCT06).
Russia Religions:
Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.) note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule
Kazakhstan Religions:
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Kyrgyzstan Religions:
Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%
Tajikistan Religions:
Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)
Uzbekistan Religions:
Religions: Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
BelarusGovernment restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue . . . Religions:
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
Armenia Religions:
Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%
Russia calls for banning Judaism
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1431407/posts
Russia probing whether Jewish law constitutes incitement ["first time since Stalin's regime"]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1431367/posts
Putin: Russia Building Nuclear Weapon U.S. Won't Have
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1282021/posts
Russians Respect Reason For Terrorism
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1210347/posts
Russia says new Topol RS-12 mobile ICBM can evade U.S. missile defense
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1513904/posts
What led to the Six Day War in 1967?PalestineFacts.org Events Leading Up to War
Shortly after this, Syrian government received intelligence information by the Soviet Union stating that Israel is amassing forces on the Syrian border to launch an attack. There is no evidence about the authenticity of this information; however, it made Syria and Egypt come together and stand against Israel.