[flamefront]

There are numerous instances of technolical improvements to the Russian military recently. This means nothing?

Russia now assumes the possibility of using nukes first - it is a clear defensive stance of the country which is thinking mostly about its own defences and their cost(I can expand on it, if it is not evident).

Sounds desperate. Also it sounds anything but defensive.

[John H K]

Evidence that the Russian military is generally in the toilet is far more numerous. And most of their technological innovations can't be affored by their military...it's their design bureaus desperately trying to come up with stuff to sell for the export market.

The Russian military can barely control Chechnya..that's like us being unable to put down a revolt in Arkansas.

[alex]

"There are numerous instances of technolical improvements to the Russian military recently. This means nothing?"

Yep, they are desperately trying to reduce defense costs and there is no other way that through technology improvements (I would not be surprised if they still have more research workers than the rest of the world), it is far-far-far cry from the country ready to unleash 100,000 tanks on the rest of the Europe.

""Russia now assumes the possibility of using nukes first - it is a clear defensive stance of the country which is thinking mostly about its own defences and their cost(I can expand on it, if it is not evident).""

"Sounds desperate. Also it sounds anything but defensive."

Yes it is desperate, nukes is a weapon of poor peoples and threat to use them first is pretty reasonable stance for the country which is simply UNABLE to protect itself by conventional arms.

Compare it with the official position of never using nukes first by FSU during the peak of its military might. It reflected overwhelming superiority in conventional arms FSU had on the European Theater. Now the picture had reversed 180 degrees and, quite naturally, official position on nukes had reversed 180 degrees too.