http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=\ForeignBureaus\archive\200508\FOR20050818b.html
"Russia Test-Fires ICBM Across Northern Asia"
By Sergei Blagov
CNSNews.com Correspondent
August 18, 2005
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Moscow (CNSNews.com) - A Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile during an exercise Wednesday, reportedly hitting a target area in the far-eastern Kamchatka peninsula, some 7,000 kilometers to the east.
The RSM-54 Sineva ballistic missile was launched by the Yekaterinburg submarine, during wargames involving the Northern Fleet and the Air Force's long-range division, the fleet headquarters reported.
Another submarine was reportedly on standby in case the first launch failed. During a similar exercise in February 2004, the Novomoskovsk nuclear submarine failed to launch a Sineva.
A second missile was then launched, but it was destroyed in flight after veering off course. That unsuccessful exercise, like this week's one, was observed by President Vladimir Putin.
August is a busy time for the Russian military, with a number of major exercises during the month.
Others include the first joint exercises with China, beginning on Thursday, and joint maneuvers in Uzbekistan with Uzbek armed forces, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said in Moscow."
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http://www.saag.org/papers16/paper1514.html
Paper no. 1514
22. 08. 2005
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "RUSSIA – CHINA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE SENDS POLITICAL SIGNALS: An Analysis
by Dr Subhash Kapila
Introductory Observations
Russia and China commenced their first-ever joint military exercise on August 18, 2005. The exercise will last for a week with the locations first in the Vladivostok region of Russia ’s Far East and then shifting to Shandong Peninsula in Eastern China .
Russia’s and China’s decision to hold a joint military exercise involving all three services of their armed forces seems to emerge from a deliberate and well thought out strategy to send politico-strategic signals to the United States. In fact it would be more truer to say that this exercise is more of sending political signals to the United States in terms of American policies in East Asia and Central Asia .
This paper attempts to de-cipher the political signals that under-lie the Russia-China joint military exercise under way. But first a look at the military scope of this exercise and the stated official positions of Russia and China on this exercise."