Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov has been promoted to First Deputy Prime Minister. President Vladimir Putin has expressed disappointment in President Bush and U.S. policy and is now staffing his team appropriately.
New Russian space base to send manned flights by 2018 MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia, whose space programme relies heavily on a base in neighbouring Kazakhstan, is to build its own launch site for manned flights by 2018, First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov was quoted as saying Wednesday.The new Vostochny base in the Amur region of southeast Russia, bordering China, will be an alternative to the Baikonur base, a Soviet-built facility that Russia now leases from Kazakhstan. "To use a military... Read Full Story
Vladimir Putin intends to honor the demands of the Russian constitution which forbids a third consecutive term for a sitting president. With the end of his term approaching, Putin has given unusually close attention to the naming of a successor. This isn't altogether surprising. Given the tactics used by Putin to silence enemies in his push for his version of a strong Russia he has very good reason to want to retain his grip on power, and what better way to do so than via a proxy. Deputy... Read Full Story
The elevation of a man often described in the West as a "hawk" came less than a week after Mr. Putin delivered his most scathing criticism of U.S. policies at a security conference in Munich, vowing to stand up to American domination. "Ivanov's promotion adds more weight to the defence component in Russian foreign policy," a political analyst said. "It is also a signal that Russia is back on world stage as a key player." Source: Hindu.com Read Full Story
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