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    Russia president defends military spending hike

    By NATALIYA VASILYEVA - Associated Press | AP – Tue, Sep 27, 2011

    MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday vehemently defended plans to increase the country's military spending, dismissing criticism by an influential finance minister who quit after expressing frustration over the subject.

    Alexei Kudrin's resignation Monday followed the announcement of plans for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Medvedev to switch positions after next year's elections. Kudrin said he would not stay as finance minister if Medvedev became prime minister because he disagreed with his military spending plan, among other issues.

    Kudrin, who some had thought could be a candidate for prime minister, had earlier warned that a planned 1.3 percent increase in military spending next year would greatly complicate efforts to balance the budget and keep previous social commitments.

    Medvedev, who was watching military exercises in the Ural mountains Tuesday, said in televised remarks that an efficient army is Russia's "mission towards its citizens and neighbors alike."

    The president also said Russia needs to spend on its army more than "a banana republic" because it is "a (U.N.) Security Council member with nuclear weapons."

    "However, deplorable this is for the budget, we will always have high spending to maintain defense and security," Medvedev said while addressing a panel of officers. Russia "would not exist if we were weak and if our armed forces had fallen apart."

    Analysts said the spending hike was likely sanctioned by Putin, who is widely considered more powerful than Medvedev. Next year's election results are all but guaranteed to see Putin back in the presidency, when he then would appoint Medvedev as prime minister. Their United Russia party dominates the country's politics.

    Kudrin has been widely credited with helping Russia weather the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.

    During Putin's presidency from 2000 to 2008, Kudrin stashed some of the revenue from Russia's soaring oil exports into a stabilization fund despite strong opposition from other ministers who wanted to spend the money. But when the financial crisis hit and oil prices sank sharply, those savings proved crucial in reducing the blow to Russia's economy.

     

    43 comments

    • richard
      richard  •  8 mths ago
      they are gearing up to bump heads with china,not to concrened with the US,we dont have money to fight another war and if we wanted to we would have to get it from china
      • WildBillCody
        WildBillCody 8 mths ago
        We would ally with Russia against China in a FLAT second. Just like we did against Germany, even though Brits and US HATED communism.
      • Awry
        Awry 8 mths ago
        It is more likely that Russia and China would ally against us, we have been a pain in the (sit-down place) to both of them for years and there's also the probability Iran, Pakistan, N Korea and various other middle eastern countries would join them.
        Google "strategic capabilities" of each of those countries and you will notice we're outgunned and outmanned,.....The US, China, and Russia all have enough nukes to bring on nuclear winter, google that, too. Pakistan, Israel, and N Korea don't have long range capabilities but are capable of making Israel and Japan glow in the dark. Google strategic capabilities of our "allies." Neither England or France have the ability to mobilize troops any more. They have nukes but we already established the three big guys can end life on this planet, so it appears the smaller players can contribute to nuclear holocaust but would have little to no effect on the outcome.
      • Awry
        Awry 8 mths ago
        Oh, and Wild Bill, you haven't gotten old enough to study political science, have you? Eliminating the US would give China and Russia economic control of the world. Joining the US would mean having to still deal with the US and be pushed around. ( Don't forget the 11,000 oil platforms we have unguarded in coastal waters, the volcano in Yellowstone, and coastal oil refineries we have exposed.)
    • Frankie
      Frankie  •  8 mths ago
      Maybe due to fear of rising China,an uneasy neighbor which shares the longest national border along Siberia.and its rocky relationship in the past.In addition, it must defend its former client states in that turbulent Central Asia with predominate Muslim population for uprising to upset the applecart.
      • RJG
        RJG 8 mths ago
        All true, to which you have to add the threats that will arise following NATO's exit from Afghanistan. Russia's conventional forces are by all accounts a wreck, and these are the arms she'll have to rely on.
    • Juan
      Juan  •  8 mths ago
      Kudrin is right, one of the downfall of USSR is overspending on the military. They keep matching the west spending, which their nations economy could not sustain.
      • Masyanya
        Masyanya 8 mths ago
        Interesting...and I wonder what prompted the downfall of the american economy. Let's see, maybe it's something to do with starting the unnecessary wars around the world and invading other countries? Russia has money to spend, why is the west so afraid of this?
      • Yipikaye
        Yipikaye 8 mths ago
        Masyanya, the reason is because they can't stand other being better then them. They've got to be Numero Uno, alway the best in everything; killing innocent women and children included. And least you forget they got their media and "Free Press" to spin a different story if needed - like Hollywood's version of BlackHawk Down. So, if you have a strong military you have the ability to defend youself against them, they can't stand it. Which afterall makes them realize they too can die. Thereby you just have thwart their insatiable appettite to bully, crow and sturt! You have just taken away their penchant to swagger about "Shock and Awe" and for their people to brag about "kicking #$%$amp;quot; in their bars and backyard barbecues. This is why the bully keeps whining about others for not being "transparent", "secretative", "spend too much on military" etc. Yet they are the one who miltary and weapons spending is far more secretative and bigger then any of the next three countries combined..
      • Juan
        Juan 8 mths ago
        I think Corporate America is sitting on a lot cash of right now than they've ever dream. My moronic mind couldn't fathom why their not investing it. The US Govt yes their in debt right now, but without doubt they could always repay it on time. Such a complex world to understand.
    • MR26.2
      MR26.2  •  8 mths ago
      Russia need the increase to upgrade their weapon system in case the rising dragon burn britches.

      PRC has the world numerically superior land force in the world supported by everising urgraded weapon system.

      In short Asia can be conquered by the PLA, and Russia cannot stand a chance to beat back the onslaught.
    • Underwater
      Underwater  •  8 mths ago
      Ahh, I see that the Military-Industrial-Complex is alive and well in Russia too! Lots of millionaires/billionaires in the making! Oh, oh our stock inventory is beginning to build up - time to start another war!
    • Awry
      Awry  •  8 mths ago
      Sounds like Kudrin is smarter than our economics guys.
      If you were watching, Russia brought Georgia to it's knees in a matter of days, with conventional weapons. Something we and they were unable to do in Afghanistan, and that we were unable to do in Korea or Vietnam.
      Banana republics with intercontinental nuclear missiles are not banana republics, and Russia is NOT the world's largest merchant of death, it's us.
      • Andy B
        Andy B 8 mths ago
        That is because Afghanistan, Korea, and Vietnam had militaries that were and are masters of warfare. Our government trained the Taliban. Korea and Vietnam knew their terrain and fought from underneath the ground in tunnels that are hundreds of years old. Georgia was part of the USSR and after the USSR's fall, it became a poor country with little to no military. It was also using decades old outdated weapons. If Russia kept up with the USA then, we probally would be in another world war!
    • Crusher
      Crusher  •  8 mths ago
      Medvedev is Putins puppet and always has been, a has been.
    • Jim_vierling
      Jim_vierling  •  8 mths ago
      Does this signal a return to the urinating contest between those that are hung like fleas? Reference to the Cold War.
    • gregory
      gregory  •  8 mths ago
      Maybe we can offer Kudrin a job here in the USA?
    • andrew
      andrew  •  8 mths ago
      Putin coming back is great maybe our collective country will know that Russia is not asleep as there are resources in space,on earth and in the world-wide political arena which must be saved or defended in our interests.Our citizens will again be asked to make sacrifices to face this challenge.
    • American
      American  •  8 mths ago
      Hypocrites. How does the US defend what it spends? Russia and China need to try to catch up.
    • Miachael
      Miachael  •  8 mths ago
      ...what is a banana republic? the difference appears to be spending more- perhaps?
    • Og the Reddish
      Og the Reddish  •  8 mths ago
      Maybe they'd like to take over two wars,
      slightly used but guaranteed to require increased investment in the military?
      • AG
        AG 8 mths ago
        Hahahah, funny!! Na its ok, we have enough oil of our own.
    • John
      John  •  8 mths ago
      Don't look at us! We sure as hell have no intentions of ever wanting the Mother Russia! We have plenty to fix right here in the US of A. You may want to keep a watchful eye on the kid's next door, if you know what I mean. Well like I said, we have enough problems of our own....see ya!
    • Rob
      Rob  •  8 mths ago
      How's that investment in failing missile technology working out for there Russia?
    • kyzer
      kyzer  •  8 mths ago
      look ppl weather u ppl like or not this world will come to an end man can not govern themself if u ppl look around you theres problemsssss all around us even here in the usa if u ppl read the bible u will see we are in our endssss of our time keep on being blind when it there in front of u ppl 1st thing u ppl goin to say oh my god my kids my family no no oh no pls god for give me guesss wut itsssss to late for not listen everything that its happening in this world its because it needs to happen think how 20yrs to 30 yrs was like there was problems but at the same time it was more of a peace way ppl cn live eat and spend money when ppl wanted to think ppl think
    • J.J.
      J.J.  •  8 mths ago
      Sooo... Putin is coming back to power, and Russia increases military spending... On the other side, Obama's administration is scaling back on military spending... OMG! maybe....hmm. Nah, thats impossible. I hope not.
    • John
      John  •  8 mths ago
      The Russia need to take over as world police, America is too poor to do it any more.
    • Rickie
      Rickie  •  8 mths ago
      If Pakistan attacked Turkey from the rear,,,would Greece help????
    • Citizen
      Citizen  •  8 mths ago
      If my next door neighbor was China I would increase my military spending too.
     Post a comment
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