Kremlin candidate putin wants to boost the army with billions of dollars

In the next ten years, among other things, 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles and 600 combat aircraft as well as 2300 tanks and 20 submarines worth a total of 23 billion rubles are to be purchased. This is what the 59-year-old head of government wrote before the vote on 4. March in an article for the daily newspaper rossiyskaya gazeta (monday). Russia is also responding to US and NATO plans for a missile defense shield, which the giant empire sees as a threat.

"Our security can only be guaranteed if the country becomes really strong," putin stressed. He drew a parallel with hitler’s german attack on the soviet union: russia would not allow a "repetition of the tragedy of 1941," when the country had had to pay for "lack of preparedness with huge human losses". Moscow cannot rely on diplomacy to resolve the conflict, the head of government stressed. "We must not tempt others (countries) with our weakness"."In this question there can be no "too much patriotism".

Experts were skeptical about putin’s sixth "program article" before the election. The raw materials superpower could hardly finance such an ambitious rustic program even with rising revenues from oil exports, said konstantin makijenko of the interfax agency’s analysis center for strategies and technologies.

Russia must create a new modern and mobile army and regain a leading position in all military technologies, putin urged. Moscow will continue to buy rustic technology abroad – but primarily to gain access to modern technology. "The acquisition of advanced technologies is necessary and common practice around the world."

The number of soldiers is expected to reach one million by 2017, including 700,000 officers and professional soldiers, the presidential candidate stressed. He did not rule out the use of military forces to defend raw materials. Russia has repeatedly announced its intention to strengthen its border troops in the arctic in order to protect its resources there. Huge reserves of oil, gas and precious metals are believed to exist in the arctic.