Russia will import arms rather than buy outdated Russian models

MOSCOW - Russia will import arms rather than buy outdated Russian models, the defense minister said Oct. 4, slamming the failure of the domestic defense industry to meet modern standards.

In an interview with the weekly Russian Newsweek, Defence Minster Anatoly Serdyukov said Russia would look abroad as it plans to spend over $600 billion on modernizing the armed forces in the next years.
"Our weapons often do not meet the required standards," Serdyukov said.

"We are acting as consumers in this situation... Our producers want to issue outdated models, but we don't want to buy them."

Russia, the world's the second largest arms supplier, has been in talks with France to possibly buy its Mistral-class warships - in its first ever purchase of military hardware from a member of NATO.

However, the talks have stalled amid disputes over the technology transfer.

"There are the same issues with the Mistral. The Russian military-industrial complex does not meet our standards. Therefore, we are talking about buying imported ships," Serdyukov said.

He added that Russia was even interested in buying technology from its former Cold War foe and the world's top weapons producer the U.S. but did not elaborate further.

Russia last month announced plans to triple its defense spending to $613 billion over the next decade as part of a drive to modernize its Soviet-era army.

Only about 10 percent of Russia's armaments meet modern military standards, with much of the remaining hardware dating back to Soviet times, military expert Pavel Felgenhauer wrote in the Novaya Gazeta newspaper

ok that is my last post for about 5 months then i'll probably be back

Russia Faces Shortage Of Conscripts

Russia's army faces a 15-25 percent shortage of conscripts this year, a newspaper report said Sept. 20, leaving the military understaffed amid a government reform drive.

Fewer than 550,000 men will be drafted into the army this year, bringing its ranks to 750,000-850,000 troops - short of the million-man army foreseen in planning, the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported, citing official estimates
The officer in charge of the army draft, Col. Alexei Knyazev, told the paper about 133,000 young men were evading the draft.

In an attempt to boost the poor numbers, the military has already begun calling up conscripts, although the Kremlin has not yet announced the start of the fall draft period, the paper said.

Last year, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev complained that over 40 percent of those eligible for military service were not fit enough, and draft dodging is widespread across the country today.

All Russian men aged 18 to 27 are required to serve one year in the military.

In practice however, men go to great length to avoid the grueling year of service by exploiting deferments, enrolling in university and sometimes purposefully failing the physical exam.

Often, the exemptions are facilitated by bribes.

Russia has begun to implement sweeping plans to modernize its ailing army by slashing a bloated officer corps and reforming its Soviet-style command structure.

But under the plans, three out of four servicemen would still be conscripts, Medvedev said.

Russia sells Syria Mig-29 figthers, air defence systems

MOSCOW — Russia is supplying Syria with warplanes, armoured vehicles and air defence systems under existing contracts, ITAR-Tass news agency quoted the head of the country’s state military agency as saying.

Mikhail Dmitriyev, head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said Russia was selling Syria MiG-29 fighter jets, Pantsir short-range air defence systems and armoured vehicles.

No further details were provided.

President Dmitry Medvedev this week paid the first-ever visit by a head of state from Moscow to Damascus, where he said the use of nuclear energy “may get a second wind” in Syria — a remark that prompted concern from Washington.

Russia’s arms sales and possible nuclear cooperation with Syria, which has close ties to Iran, is unnerving for Israel and the United States, which earlier this month renewed sanctions on Syria for another year, accusing it of supporting “terrorist” groups.

Russia is also in talks to supply NATO member Turkey, which Medvedev also visited this week, with air defence systems and helicopters, Dmitriyev said. “It is unclear what will happen, what Turkey would agree to,” the news agency quoted him as saying. (AFP)

Russian special forces

excellent example of Russian hostage rescue capabilities.
First strafe the vehicle with heavy machine-gun fire from a BTR, then use a breaching charge big enough to knock down a building, then run across each other's fields of fire, and end it with celebratory gunfire in the air.

What's worse than being taken hostage by muslim extremists???? Being rescued by the Russian Special Forces

what a joke russia is