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Russia has announced the existence two new nuclear-tipped missiles, including a previously secret nuclear-powered cruise missile. Unlike regular cruise missiles, which are powered by liquid fuel and gasoline engines, this missile would be powered by a nuclear chain reaction. Another missile, Kinzhal, is a hypersonic weapon designed to attack aircraft carriers and other well-defended targets. Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly announced the existence of several new nuclear weapons systems, including the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, the Kanyon long-range nuclear torpedo, a nuclear-powered cruise missile, and the Kinzhal hypersonic missile. Although Sarmat and Kanyon were known weapons systems,...

Russia is building a military base in Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s heartland, according to American intelligence officials, in the clearest indication yet of deepening Russian support for the embattled regime of Bashar al-Assad. The anonymous officials say Russia has set up an air traffic control tower and transported prefabricated housing units for up to 1,000 personnel to an airfield serving the Syrian port city of Latakia. Russia has also requested the rights to fly over neighbouring countries with military cargo aircraft during September, according to the reports. The claims, which will raise fears that Russia is planning to expand its...

Soldiers Novoozerne base in Crimea refused to swear allegiance to Russia 20.03.2014 | 16:20 Members of the Southern Naval Base Naval Forces of Ukraine Novoozerne village in the west of the Crimea as a whole refused to move on to serve in the armed forces of Russia and left the military facility . Told the head of the Crimean media center Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Vladislav Seleznev on his page on the social network " Facebook ". This morning, representatives of the Russian Black Sea Fleet nominated personnel of a military unit ultimatum - 12.00 to decide : Do...

The country’s military has disclosed its spending plans – for the first time in five years. RT has carefully examined the main expense items. Propeller The biggest part of the funds will be allocated for buying new arms: spending on military equipment is to grow from 65 to 70 percent – from 380 billion rubles in 2010 to 980 billion rubles in 2013. First and foremost, the ministry is planning to spend this money on RS-24 and Bulava strategic rockets, Su-34 bombers, Su-35 fighters, submarines, corvettes and frigates for the Black Sea fleet, and control systems for army.

Russia will buy foreign and possibly U.S. arms because the domestic industry has failed to modernize, Russia's Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has said. In an interview with Russian Newsweek, Serdyukov said Moscow was forced to buy from companies abroad as it plans to spend more than $600 billion to modernize its armed forces. "Our weapons often do not meet the required standards," he said. "We are acting as consumers in this situation ... our producers want to issue outdated models but we don't want to buy them." Serdyukov in the interview even suggested that Russia might buy weapons from its...

A distinctive feature of the Russian power vertical is that leaders do not bother determining what government officials have already said on a particular subject before preparing their own remarks. At a meeting on security agency budgets on May 24, President Dmitry Medvedev set the goal of modernizing at least 30 percent of Russia’s weaponry by 2015. The president was apparently unaware of the previous arms program, announced by then-Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov three years ago. In 2007, Ivanov told State Duma deputies that the program would rearm 45 percent of the military by 2015. It failed miserably. In addition,...

NOVOSIBIRSK, March 11 (RIA Novosti) - A major one-week military exercise will be held in southwest Siberia later this month, regional military officials said on Wednesday. The exercise will take place March 16-23 in the Kemerovo region and involve more than 5,000 personnel and up to 400 armored vehicles. The drills, under the command of Gen. Vladimir Boldyrev, chief of Russia's Ground Forces, will also involve ground attack, fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, and combat and transport helicopters. The units involved in the exercise will, among other things, practice interoperability and transfer from a peacetime to wartime footing.

New Russian Sub Joins Fleet: Claimed to be the World's Fastest and Most Awesome The silent service hails a new warrior Super-silent Gepard, awesome new flagship of Russia's submarine fleet, ceremonially took to northern waters of the White Sea under navy colours today (Tuesday) at a ceremony going some way to easing the wounds of the Kursk disaster and restoring marine service morale. It has been hailed as Russia-s first nuclear-powered submarine of the 21st century. Head-of-state Vladimir Putin met the crew and sent the missile-armed, torpedo-carrying boat - named Cheetah in English - into service after successful sea and...