[Mr Poo]

MOSCOW (AP) — Boasting about the Russian military's capability, President Vladimir Putin vowed Friday to continue an ambitious weapons modernization program with a particular emphasis on nuclear strategic forces.

The move came amid Russia's escalating standoff with the West.

Speaking at a meeting with Russia's top military brass, Putin said the nation's nuclear forces are a "major factor in maintaining global balance," adding that "they effectively preclude the possibility of a large-scale aggression against Russia."

Putin said the military is set to receive 50 new intercontinental ballistic missiles — a significantly higher number than in previous years.

The huge military buildup is continuing despite the country's economic woes, triggered by a combination of Western sanctions against Russia and the slumping prices of oil. The ruble collapse this week stoked fears of high inflation and a banking crisis.

Russia-West relations have plummeted to post-Cold War lows over Moscow's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and support for the pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine.

"Once again, I would like to thank the military leadership and the military personnel for their accurate, careful and balanced action, their courage and professionalism during the event in Crimea," Putin said.

Days after Ukraine's former pro-Russia president was driven from power in February, Russia sent additional forces to Crimea, where it had a naval base. The troops seized key facilities in Crimea and blocked Ukrainian military garrisons there as residents voted to join Russia in a hastily-called referendum.

Putin initially claimed the well-armed masked men were local self-defense forces and only admitted they were Russian troops after annexing Crimea in March.

"The latest developments have shown that the Russian army is changing, getting a new image and becoming a modern force capable of fulfilling the most challenging tasks," Putin said.

The Kremlin still rejects Ukrainian and Western claims that Russia sent troops and heavy weapons to fuel the pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine, where more than 4,700 people have been killed in fighting since April.

Amid tensions over Ukraine, NATO has moved to reassure its members in eastern Europe by stepping up air patrols over the Baltic Sea and rotating military units in and out of countries like Poland and Baltic republics.

Russia also has increased the number of its air patrols, which NATO said were putting civilian flights at risks.

Last week, Russia airlifted advanced Iskander missiles to its westernmost Kaliningrad exclave bordering NATO members Poland and Lithuania for military drills. Moscow has previously warned that it could station the high-precision missiles in the region as a response to NATO's U.S.-led missile defense plans.

While the military said this week that the Iskander missiles had been pulled back from the area after the exercise, the drills demonstrated Russia's capability to quickly deploy them to the Baltic region.

Among the key priorities for the military, Putin also mentioned a plan to expand its presence in the resource-rich Arctic region.

"We aren't going to engage in the militarization of the Arctic, our actions in the Arctic are restrained and reasonable, but they are essential for ensuring Russia's defense capability," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/putin-russia-m...154457979.html

[Xfactor]

No fuel, no money, no McDonalds.. Putin looks nervous.

[niknik]

Russia was respected during the cold war because of their military. They obviously still hold this mindset, that fear is how to get respect.

[TheVrist]

Originally Posted by niknik ↗

Russia was respected during the cold war because of their military. They obviously still hold this mindset, that fear is how to get respect.

Pretty much.


And this just shows, we are light years from seeing any form of world peace.

[niknik]

Originally Posted by TheVrist ↗

Pretty much.


And this just shows, we are light years from seeing any form of world peace.

That's for sure. I think we should do our best to ally with China now. If it can be done without giving concessions and without conflicting with other allied agreements.
Because ww3 could mean war with Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China. I think for life on earth to continue after a war such as that, China would have to remain neutral. And American allies around the globe would have to go all in quickly to reduce their capabilities to wage nuclear war.
Russia is dependent on China, and would most likely not even think about starting a war with the US if China wasn't in their corner. So in my opinion, China is the key to prevent ww3.

[rob666]

Originally Posted by niknik ↗

That's for sure. I think we should do our best to ally with China now. If it can be done without giving concessions and without conflicting with other allied agreements.
Because ww3 could mean war with Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China. I think for life on earth to continue after a war such as that, China would have to remain neutral. And American allies around the globe would have to go all in quickly to reduce their capabilities to wage nuclear war.
Russia is dependent on China, and would most likely not even think about starting a war with the US if China wasn't in their corner. So in my opinion, China is the key to prevent ww3.

Your fucked

Yeah, let's just get cozy with a communist regime. One that hacks our governments every day, steals our patents and trademarks, and devalues it's dollar to kill our economy.

China has done far more damage in the last 10 years to our way of life than Russia ever will, and they get a free pass somehow.

China goes against EVERYTHING that we stand for. Their human rights record is sickening.
The last bastion of communism left on earth, and YOU want to partner up with them

[TheVrist]

We've been in bed with China, for many years already. Puttin (russia in general) would refuse any reach arounds with us, America would have to accept being the bottom, and go lube-less.

[niknik]

Originally Posted by rob666 ↗

Your fucked

Yeah, let's just get cozy with a communist regime. One that hacks our governments every day, steals our patents and trademarks, and devalues it's dollar to kill our economy.

China has done far more damage in the last 10 years to our way of life than Russia ever will, and they get a free pass somehow.

China goes against EVERYTHING that we stand for. Their human rights record is sickening.
The last bastion of communism left on earth, and YOU want to partner up with them

As Vrist mentioned we are partners already. But I'm only looking at it as if a war with Russia seemed very plausible. And I'm also not talking about going steady, just agreements that we won't mess with them, they won't mess with us. And we'll work together to get wealthy. After the war, we could change policy.

I don't know if you've been reading the news, but Russia is building war machines at a rapid pace. Even while their economy is on the brink of collapse.

If you look at the nations that would be involved. North Korea, Iran, Russia, and China, with some other nations allowing them resources. Of those countries the only one that doesn't absolutely hate us is China. So it would make sense to try and deal with them, if war seemed imminent.

[Brometheus]

Originally Posted by TheVrist ↗

Pretty much.


And this just shows, we are light years from seeing any form of world peace.

we should expect WW3 by the next presidency. certain americans are also craving a new war and a "war president".. or whatever term I've seen used before. I know some people got hard when they saw Obama threaten NK over the Sony hack..

[TheVrist]

Originally Posted by Brometheus ↗

we should expect WW3 by the next presidency. certain americans are also craving a new war and a "war president".. or whatever term I've seen used before. I know some people got hard when they saw Obama threaten NK over the Sony hack..

A war culture is definitely apparent lately. You can read it in people's comments on many subjects in other social media sites. A lot of it could be bravado, but I am sure some is genuine.