Reform of the Russian Armed Forces:
By 2012, the military is to be downsized to 1 million personnel, a professional NCO corps is to be created, and its command and control system is to be streamlined.
Indian PM confident of quick return to full economic growth:
The Indian economy will overcome the consequences of the global credit crunch within the next two to three years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said ahead of his upcoming visit to Russia.
Vietnam could become key importer of Russian weaponry:
Vietnam could become a key importer of Russian weaponry if several contracts on the purchase of diesel submarines and aircraft are signed in the near future, a Russian newspaper said.
Russia to further cut Interior Ministry troops to 170,000 by 2020:
The numerical strength of Russia’s Interior Ministry troops will be reduced by 14,000 to around 170,000 personnel by 2020, the force commander said on Friday.
Transcript of Vladimir Putin’s question and answer session:
The full transcript of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s annual live TV and radio phone-in.
The Obama administration’s ‘reset button’ for Russia:
The interests of the Obama administration in improving ties with Russia, a policy metaphorically first described by Vice President Biden in February 2009 as ‘pressing the reset button,’ are principally driven by three goals.
Arms Treaty Likely to Expire Before New Pact Is Set:
American and Russian negotiators are racing to solve the remaining obstacles to a new arms control treaty that would cut the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals by up to a third and replace a cold-war-era pact that expires Saturday.
A day in the life of a person in a wheelchair:
Moscow wheelchair users have to face enormous challenges in their everyday occupations and activities, including shopping, crossing a street or going to the cinema. Gennady Rodin, a wheelchair-bound Moscow resident, offered a camera crew from RIA Novosti news agency the opportunity to follow him for a day.
The De-Russification of the Baltics Serves a Geopolitical Purpose:
The Baltic States occupy strategic territory along what, for two hundred years, was Russia’s Western coast-line. Their de-Russification now serves a simple geopolitical purpose – that of pushing Russia North and East, out of the European affairs in which she ought to be a natural player. This geopolitical push is a zero-sum game from which only the United States benefits.
Russia: Protecting Citizens Living Abroad:
Russian strategies resemble the policies used by the West for exerting its influence abroad like NATO invasion in Kosovo.
Revitalizing India-Russia ties:
The challenges of dealing with China’s rising power are encouraging India and Russia to reach out to each other. Indian diplomats have noted a perceptible warming towards India in the Kremlin as well. The two countries are rediscovering the values of their traditional friendship in the face of ongoing shifts in global political and economic equations.
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