Russian Navy facing ‘irreversible collapse’

The Russian Navy is currently on the verge of ‘irreversible collapse’, according to a recent analysis published by the authoritative Moscow-based weekly – the Independent Military Review .

Medvedev Shows Off Sample Coin of New ‘World Currency’ at G-8

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev illustrated his call for a supranational currency to replace the dollar by pulling from his pocket a sample coin of a “united future world currency.” This is exactly what the Bilderberg group want. (This is a secret organisation, building on dictatorial worldslavery described in Georges Orwell’s 1984)

“Here it is,” Medvedev told reporters today in L’Aquila, Italy, after a summit of the Group of Eight nations. “You can see it and touch it.”

The coin, which bears the words “unity in diversity,” was minted in Belgium and presented to the heads of G-8 delegations, Medvedev said.

Russia’s Su-30 fighter to become world’s most exported jet

India announced its plans to double the purchase of Russia’s Su-30MKI fighter jets. If the plans become real, Russia will set a new record selling the largest quality of fourth-generation aircraft to a foreign customer. The deal will considerably improve the reputation of Russia’s renowned jet, although it does have significant competitors from the fifth generation.

India may considerably enlarge its fleet of Russian-made Su-30MKI by 2015 – to 230 planes, news agencies reported with reference to India’s Defense Minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony. The official said that India had purchased 98 of such fighter jets from Russia since 1996.

Job woes hit migrant workers in Russia

news.bbc.co.uk

Migrant workers have been crowding trains home from Moscow

Millions of migrant workers live in Russia, with many of them coming from Central Asia, especially Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

This has led to a big reduction in the amount of money sent back to Central Asia. Tajikistan relies on such remittances for around one-third of its income, but the International Organisation for Migration says Tajik remittances could fall by up to 30% this year.But since the onset of the global economic crisis many of them have lost their jobs.

Martin Vennard has been speaking to Central Asians in Moscow about their situation.

Police kill 13 militants in Russia’s North Caucasus

Thirteen armed men were killed in clashes with police in Russia’s regions of Dagestan and Chechnya on Sunday in the latest outburst of violence in the turbulent North Caucasus, local media and police said.

On Saturday, security forces in the nearby region of Ingushetia killed four militants, including a rebel leader. The shooting in Dagestan broke out near the town of Khasavyurt after policemen tried to stop a car without number plates.

Consider a New Ten Commandments for Nations

Moses gave us the Ten Commandments to guide our personal lives 3000 years ago. Now it is perhaps a good time to develop a Ten Commandments to guide the behavior of Nations. Given the state of the World and the damage and chaos created by George W. Bush, the Waster, we should consider an application of the universal truths of Moses to international behavior:

1) Thou shalt not kill nations

Nations must not be invaded, subjugated, dismembered or subjected to genocide. Only if there is a true and demonstrated need for self defense should one nation go to war with another.

2) Thou shalt not steal from nations

From trade “agreements” to reserve currency privileges to expensive loans, one nation must not lord its superior economic power over another.

3) Thou shalt not bear false witness against nations

Charges of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and conspiracies must be substantiated. It is too easy for a superpower to demonize a nation with its massive media technology, and to repeat over and over again its lies. The “news” of false witness must stop; it is time to tell the truth.

4) Thou shalt not take advantage of weaker nations

The strong should be helping the under-developed nations rather than gaining by their vulnerabilities.

5) Thou shalt not ignore the suffering of nations

Russian determination to displace dollar as reserve currency unflagging

http://www.mosnews.com/features/2009/06/18/dollarruble/

Over half of the Earth’s population was represented in summit meetings in Yekaterinburg this week. BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), the world’s largest emerging economies, convened a summit in the Russian city simultaneously with, but separately from, the ninth Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Tuesday, June 16. China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are the permanent members of the SCO. Mongolia, Pakistan, India and Iran are SCO observer states, with Iran an applicant for full membership.

Stalin built many secret super bunkers for himself but used none of them

Yury Suprunenko
Pravda.Ru

When German troops neared Moscow in November 1941, there was a real threat for the capital of the Soviet Union to capitulate. Stalin found out shortly before that that Adolf Hitler was conducting all important meetings in underground bunkers. Stalin decided to build reliable shelters for himself.

In accordance with the secret decree of the State Committee for Defense signed on November 22, 1941, underground bunkers were built in Kuibyshev, Stalingrad, Saratov, Yaroslavl, Gorky, Ulyanovsk and Kazan. Lavrenty Beria, the chairman of the Committee, was personally in charge of the task.

Obama to Russia: stop Iranian nuclear weapon and US will scrap missile defence

Tony Halpin in Moscow

timesonline.co.uk

President Obama today offered to scrap plans for a missile defence shield in Eastern Europe if Russia helped to stop Iran developing a nuclear bomb.
He appealed in Moscow for a new era of partnership between Russia and the United States to fight the spread of nuclear weapons to rogue states and terrorist groups.
“That is why we should be united in opposing North Korea’s efforts to become a nuclear power and preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says Moscow aims to improve ties with Vatican

Russian president: We want better Vatican ties

Tensions between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches over property disputes and other issues have so far made it impossible for any pope to visit Moscow.

Russian president: “We want better Vatican ties”

Russia’s president says Moscow plans to improve its ties with the Vatican.

Tensions between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches over property disputes and other issues have so far made it impossible for any pope to visit Moscow.

Ukraine continues to sell military hardware to Georgia receiving 800 million dollars of profit

Ukraine has received about $800 million of profit from the export of arms in 2008. Sergey Bondarchuk, the chairman of the state-run company Ukrspetsexport, said that the nation’s arms export in 2007 brought the profit of $700 million and nearly $800 million – in 2008.

China can do without US dollar?

China ’s announcement overnight that it will allow companies to settle international trade claims in yuan shows how serious the Chinese authorities are about building a local currency market.

China will allow companies to use the yuan to settle cross-border trade and let them keep their entitlement to export tax rebates, seeking to reduce the reliance of importers and exporters on the U.S. dollar.

The People’s Bank of China will encourage banks to offer yuan settlement services from today, the bank said in the regulations published on its Web site. Transactions inside China will take place in Shanghai and four cities in southern Guangdong province, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, while those outside China will occur in Hong Kong, Macau and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, it said.

Russia Stokes Tensions With Georgia As Troops Gather Near Border

Russia was accused of stoking tensions with Georgia yesterday as it mounted a huge military exercise, in an ominous echo of last summer’s war. Thousands of troops and hundreds of armoured vehicles began the “Caucasus 2009” manoeuvres across southern Russia, close to the border with Georgia.

Mikhail Gorbachev: Russia needs another anti-alcohol campaign

USSR’s former President Mikhail Gorbachev believes that Russia needs another large-scale anti-alcohol campaign. Making an appearance at a talk show on Russia’s First Channel, Mr. Gorbachev said that “according to the World Health Organization, the country, which makes 18 liters of alcohol per capita, is destroying itself”

NATO, you lover boy!

Pravda.ru

The Secretary General of NATO and Russia’s envoy to the alliance have voiced their differences on family relations in Central Asia.

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s representative in the Russia-NATO council, lashed out at the Partnership for Peace program, saying it was a vehicle to drag new countries in NATO, and now it has outlived itself.The two officials were speaking with journalists in the Kazakh capital Astana, which hosts the security forum of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, NATO’s structure for relations with European and Asian non-members of the alliance.

“US is not intending to threaten Russia in any way” – US top military officia

russiatoday.ru

The US is reviewing its plans for the AMD shield in Eastern Europe, says Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen in his interview to RT.

M.M.: I am glad to be with you.RT: Chairman Michael Mullen thanks very much for being with us today.

RT: Do you think we can have an agreement on nuclear arms reduction to be signed by the two presidents while you are here?

M.M.: Well, the upcoming summit is a really critical meeting, obviously. The intent is to certainly reach that kind of agreement. It’s really up to the two presidents to make the final decision and to sign it. But I am encouraged by the progress that I am aware of from the negotiations viewpoint. I think it’s a very important undertaking.

Western countries make ridiculous statements about Russia’s military drills in Caucasus

Sergey Balmasov
Pravda.Ru

The West is concerned about Russia’s military drills Kavkaz-2009 (Caucasus-2009) which started on June 29. The drills will end on July 6 and will embrace almost the entire territory of Russia’s south – from the Arkhangelsk region to Chechnya and Ingushetia republics. Many Western and Georgian experts say that the drills may trigger another war, like it happened in August of 2008.

The Washington Post wrote that Russia was conducting a similar military exercise last year. The completion of the event coincided with the beginning of the military actions. The newspaper is particularly concerned that the end of the drills coincides with Obama’s visit to Moscow.

Analysis: U.S. unprepared for nuke attack

by Shannon Bond

Federal officials responsible for coping with the aftermath of a possible nuclear attack in the United States are not fully confident of the government’s readiness to deal with such a disaster, they told a Senate hearing Thursday.

“A nuclear event is exponentially more challenging than anything else,” Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul McHale told the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

McHale rated the government’s preparation level at five on a scale of one to 10, in response to a question from committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn.

Netanyahu to Putin: Stop selling missiles to Iran

European Friends of Iran

haaretz.com

Relations between Israel and Russia have grown tense over a significant change in Moscow’s attitude regarding the possible sale of S-300 air defense missiles to Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and asked him to prevent the arms deal from going through.

Ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev next week, Israel has began an international effort to pressure Russia not to complete the sale of the advanced air defense system.

Stratfor unveils another spooky story of Russia’s imminent supremacy in Europe

Ivan Tulyakov
Pravda.Ru

There is no such notion as a former intelligence officer. An intelligence officer always remains an intelligence officer. This notion becomes particularly clear when you read the so-called “analyses” from the US Stratfor (Strategic Forecasting) agency. The agency collects information to look into the future of various regions of the globe. Stratfor’s founding father, George Friedman, is a former professor of geopolitics.

The agency’s products – forecasts and predictions – are especially important for companies involved in global trade. Stratfor does not expose the names of its clients – it only says that it cooperates with both large corporations and private individuals.

Russian navy goes straight to the bottom?

Sergey Balmasov
Pravda.Ru

Russia may start purchasing foreign warships abroad.

“We do not exclude a possibility to purchase foreign vessels from other countries,” Vladimir Vysotsky, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, stated June 24 at the opening of the International Naval Salon in St. Petersburg.

Russia has been either purchasing foreign warships or building the ones of its own with the participation of foreign specialists for a very long time. It happened during the Northern War of 1700-1721 against Sweden, when Dutch specialists built many of Russian vessels. It also happened so during the 19^th and the 20^th centuries, when Russia was forced to buy ships from other countries due to the nation’s lag in the technological development. Russia’s legendary cruiser Varyag, for instance, was built in the United States.

Russia sick and tired of Europe’s criticism

english.pravda.ru

The session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is closing in Strasbourg on Friday. This session may become the last one for the Russian delegation. Russia may be deprived of the voting right in Europe’s largest organization already this autumn or winter, the chairman of the Committee for International Affairs of Russia’s State Duma, Konstantin Kosachev said.

The Kremlin has repeatedly said before that Russia would be ready to leave the Council of Europe in case the organization introduces such a sanction. If it happens, Russian citizens will not be able to address to the European Court for Human Rights to appeal the decision of Russian courts and authorities. For the time being, Belarus is the only country in Europe which does not hold the PACE membership.

NATO must not be the base of European security, Russia believes

Cartoon : Steve Bell 2008

Pravda.ru

The Conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) opened in Austria. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the West to accept the suggestion from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about the new European Security Treaty which would include the principles of disarmament and regulation of conflicts.

“It goes about the concept of security based on cooperation, which is a fundamental concept for the entireEuro-Atlantic region. Everyone recognized the concept long ago, but it has never been possible to materialize it. The idea of the new treaty gives us another chance,” Sergey Lavrov said at the conference in Vienna.

Stalin billboards appear in Russian city indicating recreation of Soviet past

Ten billboards depicting images of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin appeared on the streets of Voronezh to everyone’s surprise. The bright-colored billboards prepared for the 130^th anniversary of “the leader of all time and nations” show Stalin wearing his parade uniform. The slogan on the billboards says: “Victory will be ours.”

The Voronezh-based division of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation acknowledged that the billboards appeared on the streets of the city upon their initiative. The city authorities are now investigating whether the street advertisements shall be considered as inappropriate, The Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote.

The city authorities showed a reaction to Stalin’s images in the streets only after the billboards attracted the attention of the local media.

Russia launches first nuclear submarine since USSR’s collapse

Russia’s strategic nuclear-powered Yury Dolgoruki submarine has finally been launched. It is the first submarine, which Russia made after the collapse of the USSR. Russian shipbuilders can be both proud and ashamed of the new cruiser: the works on the submarine began 16 years ago.

The construction of the nuclear cruiser was very slow due to the lack of finance. When the submarine was finally assembled, it turned out that the Bulava rocket was not ready for it. Officials of Russia’s Defense Ministry say that the new rocket would be passed into service in 2009 or in 2010.

USA does not have a vestige of respect for Russia

Sergey Balmasov
Pravda.Ru

It looks like the United States is going to stay in Kyrgyzstan to Russia’s great disappointment. The government of the former Soviet nation in Central Asia has changed its mind about the withdrawal of US troops from the airbase at Manas Airport.

The dispute about the fate of the US airbase at Kyrgyzstan’s Manas, which plays a very important role in terms of maintaining NATO troops in Afghanistan, continues. The government of the Asian nation previously decided to close the base and passed the adequate law on April 2 of this year.

However, it transpired yesterday that the US troops are not going anywhere. They will keep the base if it is going to be used solely for the delivery of cargoes to Afghanistan. The governments of Turkey and Afghanistan addressed to Kyrgyzstan with a suggestion, which the poor nation could not decline: a billion dollars of investments in the country’s economy in return to the promise to keep the Manas base.

Window to Europe a treat for Dutch

Aleksandra Kosharnitskaya, RT

What are the images that come to your mind when you hear the word “Amsterdam”?

It has taken more than a decade to complete the project. And the opening ceremony went off with the bang as guests of honor – Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and President Medvedev among them – watched the grand “fireworks” finale of the celebrations (notably, fireworks are banned in the city, but the authorities made an exception for this occasion).

“Peter the Great would be happy with this,” the head of the Hermitage, Mikhail Piotrovsky, told the journalists who attended the event.

By bringing its most renowned museum to Amsterdam, Russia’s returning the favor.

BRIC group takes a shot at USD supremacy

Brazil and fellow up-and-coming economies Russia, India and China discussed how they could exert greater sway over the global financial system at their first summit in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg last week, but they surprised observers with toned-down talk about reducing the world’s reliance on the U.S. dollar.

Frustration at the dominant but unstable dollar as the world’s reserve currency had united the so-called BRIC grouping — an acronym coined to describe these four key emerging markets — in the first place, and motivated them to find a common base on which to capitalize on their own growing economic influence.

Brazil, China and Russia have all said they will purchase notes from the International Monetary Fund to begin diversifying their reserves away from the greenback.

Shaping the future, BRIC by BRIC

The time has come for Brazil, Russia, India and China to play a central role in a new global economy. That was the message of the debut summit of the so-called BRIC group, hosted in Yekaterinburg this week.

Hopes are high, and the leaders say their very first summit proved an even bigger success than they’d imagined.

“I think that the boost of development of the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – will continue to have a strong impact on the world’s economic development, industrial capacity and global security. The BRIC summit must create conditions for a much fairer world order and solve global problems” proposed Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Medvedev’s family “prefers to buy Russian products”

In an interview with Channel One TV, President Dmintry Medvedev said his family prefers to buy Russian food since they believe there are more chemicals in imported products than in locally produced food.

Dmitry Medvedev: Good evening, Kirill. I think the time has come indeed to talk about the situation in agriculture. The time is right, and I think the place is not bad either. This is a good place to talk about agriculture’s prospects and problems.Kirill Kleimenov, Channel One Current Affairs program anchor, was interviewing the Russian President at Barvikha, the presidential residence in the Moscow Region.

Kirill Kleimenov: Good evening, Mr President. Thank you for finding the time to answer our questions. Our questions today are about agriculture – a very important subject, a big subject.

Sky above Moscow proves to be absolutely defenseless

Sergey Balmasov

Pravda.Ru

The sky above Moscow is defended weakly. Military experts say that the Russian capital is vulnerable against an air attack or a missile strike. Russia’s latest S-400 missile system will not be capable of improving the situation. The new upgraded missiles for the complex have not been designed yet.

The subject of Moscow’s air defense surfaced again at a news conference on June 16. Anatoly Kornukov, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, and Leonid Ivashov, the former chief of Russia’s Military Staff, believe that Moscow’s air defense system is outdated and therefore incapable of executing its goals. Mr. Ivashov

believes that Russia needs to either make huge investments in the development of its air defense system or move the capital to the east of the country.

Russia declassifies archive files about USSR’s top secret agent in NS-Germany

Russia’s External Intelligence Service declassified the archives about one of the most prominent Soviet intelligence officers in Nazi Germany – Willy Leman, a top secret Soviet agent nicknamed as Breitenbach. He was USSR’s only agent at Germany’s Gestapo. Leman warned Moscow of Germany’s intention to attack the Soviet Union, RIA Novosti news agency reports.

The documents, which Leman provided to Soviet secret agents since 1941, said that Nazi Germany was preparing to attack the Soviet Union.

Der Spiegel: Georgia not a victim of “Russian aggression”

Robert Bridge, RT

The reputable German news magazine has sparked uproar in its latest issue by proclaiming that Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili started the war by attacking South Ossetia on August 7, 2008.

In an email exchange with RT, the office of Heidi Tagliavini wrote: “Der Spiegel, in today’s edition (25/2009) published a two page article… which reflects on the work of IIFFMCG in a largely speculative and unsubstantiated way. In this context, I would like to state the following:

“Spiegel’s article is not based on information provided by… Ambassador Tagliavini, or any other authorized sources…. There has been no interview, background briefing or any other way of communication in order to provide information for the article.”

“BRIC countries are part of world financial crisis solution” – Brazilian FM

The growth of the economies of Russia, Brazil, India and China will help the world cope with the financial crisis, said Brazil’s Foreign Minister in an exclusive interview with RT.

Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim talked about the future goals of the BRIC organization, Brazil’s role in it, and the pros and cons of a new global currency.

Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet-100 sold out at Le Bourget

Hungary’s Malev and SuperJet International – a joint venture of Italy’s Alenia and Russia’s Sukhoi – signed the agreement of intent to purchase 30 Sukhoi Superjet-100 (SSJ-100) aircraft, Interfax reports. The contract is evaluated at $1 billion.

Malev plans to purchase 98-seated SSJ-100s. The first airplane will be delivered to the company in 2011 and will receive six SuperJet airplanes every year afterwards.

“The new Sukhoi Superjet-100 can be used for both regional and medium-range flights, which coincides with the route network of the airline,” Malev’s General director Martin Gauss said. “We plan to restructure our fleet particularly because of our plans to increase our air transportation,” he added.

Russia to introduce visa regulations with Ukraine in case it joins NATO

A delegation of the North Atlantic Alliance with its chairman Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the head arrived in Ukraine on June 16 with an official visit. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko invited the delegation within the scope of NATO’s decision to launch negotiations with Ukraine with a view to activate a political dialogue between the former Soviet state and the alliance. In the meantime, the visit raises serious concerns with the Russian administration. Russian officials said that Ukraine’s possible incorporation into the North Atlantic Alliance may result in the introduction of the visa entry between the two countries.

SCO conference: “It’s ‘The world without the West’ meeting”

The leaders have gathered to discuss security, economic development and other things, like finding their place in the global architecture of the new economic world, said British Times Moscow bureau editor Tony Halpin.

The danger of nuclear war is drawing near

North Korea, which threatens to unleash the war against the United States and its allies, probably prepares several new nuclear explosions. Two or three nuclear objects may appear in the north-west of North Korea, where the previous nuclear test was carried out, South Korean Yonhap news agency reported with reference to intelligence sources.

For the time being, there is no evidence to prove that the nation is working on a new explosion, sources say. Official spokespeople for US special services said that North Korea intended to respond with a third nuclear blast to UN’s new sanctions. Pyongyang conducted its second nuclear test on May 25, which made the UN Security Council toughen sanctions against the country on June 12.

Russia Rejects the Notion of a Joint Missile System in Europe

New York Times

www.nytimes.com

Michael Schwirtz contributed reporting from Moscow.

Responding to remarks by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, a top Russian diplomat said Thursday that Russia would not collaborate with the United States on missile defense unless Washington scrapped plans to deploy elements of the shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.

“We cannot partner in the creation of objects whose goal is to oppose the strategic deterrent forces of the Russian Federation,” said the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Andrei A. Nesterenko. “No one will do something that harms himself.”

“Only the United States’ rejection of plans to base in Europe the so-called third position area of the missile-defense shield could mark the beginning of a full-fledged dialogue on the question of cooperation and reaction to likely missile risk,” Mr. Nesterenko said. He added that Russia expected “it will be possible to find a common denominator.”

Russia identifies body fragments of Chechen terrorist Doku Umarov

The identification of the terrorists, who were killed near the settlement of Dattykh, the Ingushetia Republic, will be impossible without the DNA expertise. Doku Umarov, a Chechen terrorist leader, is said to be among the bodies. Experts have already taken blood samples from Umarov’s close relatives for the expertise, The Kommersant newspaper wrote.

Sunken S-2 Soviet Sub Found in Baltic Sea

After a decadelong search, a team of Baltic Sea divers has discovered the wreckage of a Soviet submarine that sank with dozens of sailors aboard during World War II, one of the divers said.

They found the S-2 submarine near the Aland Islands between Sweden and Finland in February but only announced it this week because they wanted to confirm the identity of the vessel, team member Marten Zetterstrom said.

He said all 50 crew members died when the vessel exploded in 1940, probably after hitting a mine. He declined to give the exact location.

“My feelings were mixed. There it was, this war machine that was built to take ships down. I was happy, sad, depressed and elated all at once,” Zetterstrom said.

The Wahhabi Rule Dagestan

By Yulia Latynina

themoscowtimes.com

Dagestani Interior Minister Adilgirei Magomedtagirov was killed by a sniper on Friday. He had been attending the wedding of the daughter of his friend, the chief of the local Interior Ministry’s economic crimes department. The wedding was held at The Marrakesh, the most popular restaurant in Makhachkala, where guests have to make reservations for the banquet hall three months in advance and where drunken shootouts happen at least once a month.

Contrary to official reports, which claimed that the sniper used a rifle typically used by special police forces, the shots were fired from a machine gun from the ninth floor of an adjacent building.

Abkhaz Future Free of Georgian Domination

By Yanal Kazan

themoscowtimes

Abkhazia must chart a course for tomorrow and beyond. A 21st-century Abkhaz state must be prepared for the challenges and opportunities that lie before it.

It is essential that all Abkhaz at home and in the diaspora chart a course in rebuilding their homeland. They must transform their resources into an economic engine that creates jobs and wealth for their people. The diaspora, which has been living in exile for the entire 20th century, must play a significant role in transforming their society and contribute in building the new Abkhaz nation.

Crime and No Punishment

themoscowtimes.com

On May 13, Interior Ministry employee Roman Zhirov, driving his powerful SUV, hit and killed a 34-year-old pregnant woman on a Moscow crosswalk. Pregnant woman are not particularly known for sprinting across pedestrian crossways out of nowhere and catching an approaching driver by surprise. Zhirov pulled into the lane of oncoming traffic to pass a car that had stopped at the crosswalk to let the pregnant woman pass. After Zhirov struck the woman, he raced away, but eyewitnesses wrote down his license plate number. In the West, this would be classified as manslaughter and fleeing the crime scene. In Russia, the investigation was handed over to the same department where Zhirov worked. He was questioned briefly and released. A scandal erupted 10 days later. The victim’s husband wrote that Zhirov was back at work as if nothing had happened. The scandal spread to the Internet, where a record number of posts finally spilled onto President Dmitry Medvedev’s personal blog. After that, the Interior Ministry reported that Zhirov had been arrested. But this turned out to be false. Zhirov had not been arrested, but only dismissed for “committing an act bringing dishonor to the police force.”

Russia alarmed over new EU pact

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned the European Union not to turn a proposed partnership with former Soviet countries against Moscow.

Mr Medvedev was speaking at the end of a Russia-EU summit held against a background of deep divisions over security, trade and energy supplies.

He also signalled a new gas crisis may lie ahead, suggesting Ukraine lacks the money to pay for gas Russia provides.

A row over prices severely affected supplies to Europe in January.

The BBC’s Richard Galpin in Moscow says divisions between Russia and the European Union seem to be growing ever wider, and this latest summit, held in the far east of Russia, made that abundantly clear, with little sign of progress on any significant topic.

 

“We would not want the Eastern Partnership to turn into partnership against Russia. There are various examples,” Mr Mevedev told a news conference at the end of the summit.

“I would simply not want this partnership to consolidate certain individual states, which are of an anti-Russian bent, with other European states,” he said.

Moscow has accused the 27-member bloc of creating new dividing lines in Europe by offering closer ties to six former Soviet republics.

The Eastern Partnership Initiative aims to forge close political and economic ties in exchange for democratic reforms.

The cost of V-Day for Soviet Russia

Most of the world marks the end of the Second World War on the 8th of May. But for Soviet Russia it ended the day after. In modern Russia, May 9th is still celebrated as a major national holiday.

For the Soviet Union, the war started with the German invasion on June 22, 1941. Germany wa able to go to war with the big help of Rothschildmoney.

The clash at the Eastern front between Germany and the Red Army has been labeled the Great Patriotic War. This term was first used in an article in one of the Soviet newspapers, and it still bares this name.

All in all, over 100 million military personnel participated and at least 70 million people died during the Second World War, most at the Eastern front in the period of four years … More people fought and died in the Great Patriotic War than in all other theatres of the Second World War combined.

On the Great Patriotic War, historical truth, and our memory

In his latest video blog, President Dmitry Medvedev addresses the nation prior to remembering WWII on Victory Day.

In the life of every one of us, there are holidays and memorable dates that have very special meaning. There are also cases when the line between personal and common interest is blurred – when personal matters become a wider concern and when community issues feel close and personal. The ninth of May, the Victory Day, is an example of just such a holiday. It is our common holiday, a day for every one of us, and a day for every Russian family. Naturally, everyone has his or her own attitude towards this holiday, mostly because of our close relatives, grandfathers and great grandfathers who fought and passed through the furnace of war.

Russian warship frees eight Iranians from pirates

The Iranian embassy in Moscow has said that a Russian warship has freed eight Iranian citizens who had been seized last week along with Somali pirates.

The Iranians had been held captive for almost three months by Somali pirates when the Russian destroyer Admiral Panteleyev captured the seized vessel with 29 suspected Somali pirates last week.

Russian soldier: Legendary bravery and courage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russia starts construction of oil pipeline to China

Russia started construction of a crude oil pipeline to China, following an agreement between the two countries to exchange loans for oil early this month, a Chinese newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Russia staged a ceremony on Monday in Skovorodino, where the pipeline started in Russia, according to the China Petroleum Daily, which is run by top Chinese oil firm CNPC.

Russia sets new world record in the conquest of the North Pole

A new record in the exploration of the Arctic was set on Sunday (April 26) when wheeled cars reached the geographical North Pole. No one has ever been able to do it before.

 

Two Russian-made Yemelya experimental vehicles have traveled over 1,100 kilometers across drift ice of the Arctic and reached the North Pole.

“This victory is the result of two years of our training to have the vehicles ready for the severe Arctic conditions. We also did the profound analysis of previous Russian missions to the north,” the leader of the ice mission Vasily Yelagin told Itar-Tass.

USA may eventually aim its interceptor missiles against itself

The United States harbors plans to create the fourth and the fifth missile deployment areas, which may seriously change the balance of forces in the world. It is quite possible that USA’s missile defense objects will be aimed against itself in the long run, taking into consideration the current state of affairs when America is losing its international influence.

 

Albania set out its readiness to give green light to USA’s missile defense system. Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said that if the USA does not succeed in the deployment of its missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, Albania would be ready to provide such an opportunity instead.

Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, previously stated that the United States was not going to stop with the establishment of the third missile deployment area (in Poland and the Czech Republic). “We have received neither a precise answer, nor a rejection to our questions about the possible establishment of the fourth and the fifth deployment areas of the United States,” he said.

Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov became first victim of space race between USA and USSR

Maksim Kondratyev

Pravda.ru

The launch of the Soyuz-1 spaceship, which took place on April 23, 1967, had a tragic ending for the first time in the history of manned space missions. Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov died as a result of the tragic landing. Legendary cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was Komarov’s stand-in in the historic flight. First man in space was aware of the drawbacks of the spaceship and attempted to interfere to save his colleague.

 

Vladimir Komarov was an experienced cosmonaut: his first flight took place on October 12-13, 1964, together with cosmonauts Konstantin Feoktistov and Boris Yegorov on board the Voskhod spaceship – the world’s first many-seated spaceship. There was a pilot, an engineer and a doctor in the crew. The crew had no spacesuits during the landing and were conducting the first test of the soft landing system.

The spaceship blasted off successfully. The flight lasted for 24 hours and 17 minutes: the ship orbited Earth 16 times. Komarov was awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union and was decorated with the Lenin Order and the Golden Star Medal. He soon became the third Class Cosmonaut and subsequently became an instructor with a group of cosmonauts, the training programs of whom included a manned mission to the Moon.

Dmitry Medvedev visited the Ryazan Airborne Troops Military Academy

The academy head, Colonel Vladimir Lugovoy, briefed the President on the training process arrangements. Dmitry Medvedev, accompanied by Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, watched parachute jumps and special simulator training. Mr Medvedev also watched demonstrations of hand-to-hand combat. 

A demonstration of new generation small arms was organised for the President.

Mr Medvedev laid a wreath at the obelisk to the academy’s graduates who lost their lives defending their fatherland or in local armed conflicts.

The academy’s history dates back to 1918, when infantry training courses were first organised in Ryazan for Red Army officers. In November 1996, the academy was named in honour of Vasily Margelov, who commanded the Soviet Union’s paratroops for almost 25 years. The academy counts 45 Heroes of the Soviet Union and 69 Heroes of the Russian Federation among its graduates.

Russia to take measures in response if NATO rattles its weapons near Russia’s borders

Russia will not take part in the meeting with senior NATO military officials in the event the alliance does not cancel its military drills in Georgia. The drills are slated to take place from May 6 to June 1, 20 kilometers off Tbilisi.

“If there is no reaction, we will take certain steps. But I can say one thing now: the meeting of Russia-NATO Council chiefs will not take place on May 7,” Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian presidential envoy said in an interview with Vesti 24 TV channel. He added that the meeting of Russia-NATO Council ambassadors will take place as it was previously scheduled – on April 29.

Rogozin said that he had already sent a letter to NATO’s Secretary General, in which he explained the reasons why the military drills should be either canceled or take place at another location. First and foremost, Russia and NATO have not resumed their military cooperation yet. “Any rattling of weapons near Russia’s borders will lead to a negative reaction,” Rogozin added.

President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Orthodox Christians on Easter Sunday

The message reads, in particular:

“The great holiday of Easter symbolises spiritual renewal, the celebration of life and high moral ideals. On these beautiful spring days, the hearts of people are filled with special joy and love for their nearest and dearest, and with great hopes and a sincere desire to do noble things, good deeds.

This holiday brings together millions of believers across the country and our compatriots abroad. All Orthodox believers share its eternal values and respect its history and cultural heritage.

It is very important that today the Russian Orthodox Church continues its tradition of responsible ministry, helping people discover their faith and become familiar with spiritual origins. The Church is actively and creatively involved in public life, does a great deal to strengthen moral principles and traditional family values, and to cultivate moral values in younger generation.”

Mr Medvedev and his wife attended the midnight Easter service at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour led by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.

U.S. retargets nuclear missiles to 12 Russian economic facilities

The USA is developing a new nuclear doctrine. American experts believe that today’s system of U.S. nuclear forces is out of date. Now they are going to change nuclear targets on the territory of Russian federation. The U.S. is going to retarget their nuclear missiles from large Russian cities to 12 most important Russian economic facilities. According to the U.S. experts destruction of these facilities will paralyze Russia’s economy and Russia will not be able to maintain military resistance.

 

This information was provided in the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) report calling for fundamental changes to U.S. nuclear war planning, a vital prerequisite if smaller nuclear arsenals are to be achieved.

“From Counterforce to Minimal Deterrence – A New Nuclear Policy on the Path Toward Eliminating Nuclear Weapons” calls to abandon the almost five-decade-long central mission for U.S. nuclear forces, which has been and continues to be “counterforce,” the capability for U.S. forces to destroy an enemy’s military forces, its weapons, its command and control facilities and its key leaders.

Russia To Test Flight New-Generation Space Rocket In 2010

Flight tests of a new-generation Russian space launch vehicle will start in 2010, the director of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Center said on Monday. The Angara rocket, currently under development, is designed to put heavy payloads into orbit. It is mainly planned for launch from the Plesetsk space center, in northwest Russia, which will reduce Moscow’s dependence on Kazakhstan’s Baikonur, the main launch pad for the current generation of Russian rockets.

“Flight tests are due to start in 2010. In early 2011, a lighter version of Angara is to be launched and by the end of the same year a heavy-class, Angara-5 vehicle is to lift off,” Vladimir Nesterov said in an interview with the Rossiiskaya gazeta daily.

He added that the Angara will not only be used for military but also civilian purposes, specifically to put into orbit satellites as part of the Federal Space Program, as well as joint international space projects.

The new line of rockets will be available in a range of configurations capable of lifting between two and 24.5 metric tons to low-earth orbit.

Nesterov also said the center could, if necessary, develop a new super-heavy-lift rocket capable of putting into orbit payloads of between 45 and 175 tons.

Russia banking crisis just beginning: top banker

 

Russia’s banking crisis has only just begun and the government has been slow to react, the head of its largest bank said Wednesday, contradicting optimistic comments by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The blunt comments by Sberbank chief executive German Gref, who also said bad loans in Russia were increasing by 20 percent a month, came just two days after Putin said the threat to the banking system had receded.

“A banking crisis in Russia is in its very beginning and it will come from the real (non-financial) sector of the economy,” the RIA-Novosti news agency quoted Gref as saying at a conference.