#6063
[Second Issue of the Day]
#16
Russian general critical of military reform, US Central
Asia presence
Interfax
Moscow, 7 February: Russia is not undergoing military reform but rather "an absolutely thoughtless (reduction of the armed forces) that is dangerous for the country", the chairman of the [State] Duma Committee on Defence, Army Gen Andrey Nikolayev, has said.
The presence of American troops in Central Asia is not in line with the geopolitical, economic and military interests of Russia and China. The three former Soviet republics would not have agreed to have American military bases on their territories without Russian pressure, Nikolayev said.
It is beneficial for America to oppose Russia with China, India with Pakistan, and the Islamic world with the Orthodox community, the general said. Such moves threaten Russia with a deliberate break-up through a combined use of various forces and methods, up to tactical nuclear armaments.
The western and southern strategic areas will soon be the most vulnerable from the point of view of Russia's military security, he said.
After its enlargement, the NATO military force advanced 650-750km to the east. NATO tactical aviation increased by 17-20 per cent. The North Atlantic alliance obtained 290 first-rate airfields which can accommodate 3,500 warplanes within a short time. The airfields enable NATO to bomb and fire missiles on areas up to the Volga and the Urals and destroy positions of the Russian strategic nuclear forces.
Back to the Top Next Article
- Back to the Top -