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| Soviet lessons from Afghanistan |
| 18.11.09 23:23 |
f.USSR |
| "We just need to be sure that the final result does not look like a humiliating defeat: to have lost so many men and now abandoned it all... in short, we have to get out of there." |
| BBC News |
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| Stall and spin in Russian air force reform |
| 22.08.09 22:41 |
f.USSR |
| In a series of interviews in August, the Russian Air Force (VVS) commander-in-chief, Colonel-General Aleksandr Zelin, outlined reform plans to enhance air power. He linked the reforms, including development of the new "S-500" air and space defense system, to the future "threat" posed by the United States′ activation in January of the US Air Force Global Strike Command - a new organization that brings nuclear and conventional strike systems under a single command. |
| Asia Times Online |
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| Role of Western structures in settlement of Abkhaz conflict |
| 21.07.09 15:16 |
f.USSR |
| One of the most important factors that influence the development of political processes in the Caucasus, in particular in Abkhazia is the geographical one. It is on the strength of this circumstance that Abkhazia has for centuries been involved in processes leading to conflicts of many great powers′ geopolitical aspirations. Greece, Persia, Rome, Byzantium, Iran, Turkey and Russia were the key players on this arena. While in the XIX cent. it was Turkey and Russia that fought for influence in the area, as soon as in the early XX cent. German and British troops arrived in Abkhazia. After the Russian Empire disintegrated in 1917, both Georgia and Abkhazia embarked on the path of shaping independent states. At the same time, Turkey and Germany stepped up their activity. In the words of General Anton Denikin, "mortal fear of a Turkish invasion" urged the Transcaucasian republics to federate. By that time, Germany had acquired a strategic vision of Georgia. |
| Sergei M. Shamba, doctor of science in history, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Abkhazia. |
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| Ukraine Bonds Flag Default as Russia Has ‘Upper Hand’ |
| 19.01.09 12:41 |
f.USSR |
| Even with the International Monetary Fund’s $16.5 billion bailout, Ukraine’s finances are deteriorating as the country battles with Russia over natural gas prices and the cost of steel, its biggest export, sinks. Yields on Ukraine’s $105 billion of government and company debt are the highest of any country with dollar-denominated bonds except Ecuador, which defaulted in December. The currency, the hryvnia, weakened 40 percent in the past 12 months against the dollar. The benchmark stock index lost 85 percent, the biggest drop in the world after Iceland, data compiled by Bloomberg show. |
| Bloomberg.com |
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| Russia to test-launch at least 5 Bulava ICBMs in 2009 |
| 23.12.08 21:16 |
f.USSR |
| The number of test launches for Russia's Bulava ICBM will be increased from three or four to at least five next year, a senior Navy official said on Tuesday. The intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of breaching anti-missile defense systems, failed a test launch from a submarine earlier on Tuesday. |
| RIA Novosti |
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