[El Scorcho]

Russia, China hold joint war games

CHEBARKUL TESTING RANGE, Russia - Fighter jets streaked through the air as Russian and Chinese forces held their first joint maneuvers on Russian land Friday in a demonstration of their growing military ties and a shared desire to counter U.S. global clout.

The war games in the southern Ural Mountains involved some 6,000 troops from Russia and China along with a handful of soldiers from four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations that are part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional group dominated by Moscow and Beijing.

The drills coincided with a massive Russian air force exercise in which dozens of Russian strategic bombers ranged far over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.

President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Hu Jintao and other leaders of the SCO nations attended the exercise, which followed their summit Thursday in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.

The summit concluded with a communique that sounded like a thinly veiled warning to the United States to stay away from the strategically placed, resource-rich region.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070817/ap_ ... aneuvers_1

[El Scorcho]

Also of note is that Putin announced that Russia is resuming long-range bomber flights on a permanent basis.

Welcome to the new Cold War.

[LUconn]

they're so cute.

[El Scorcho]

Czechs make "big mistake" on U.S. radar: Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's military chief told the Czech Republic it would be making a "big mistake" to host a U.S. missile defense shield on its soil and urged Prague on Tuesday to delay a decision until a new U.S. president is elected.

The Czech Republic is discussing hosting a radar station which would form part of the U.S. missile shield -- a system designed to intercept and destroy missiles from "rogues states" but which Moscow sees as a threat to its security.

"We say it will be a big mistake by the Czech government to put this radar site on Czech territory," said Yuri Baluyevsky, the Russian military chief of staff, after meeting the Czech deputy defense minister, Martin Bartak.

He said the Czech Republic should hold off making a decision until after the U.S. presidential election, scheduled to take place in late 2008. Incumbent George W. Bush will not be running.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070821/pl_ ... neral_dc_2

So basically, Russia is scared to death of what we'll do once they can't nuke us anymore. They're threatening anyone who threatens to cooperate with us on the M.D.S., and they believe that the Democrats will take the White House in '08, subsequently abandoning the project.

[El Scorcho]

RAF Jets Intercept Russian Bomber

Updated: 12:42, Wednesday August 22, 2007
Two RAF jets have intercepted a Russian bomber over the north Atlantic. The Typhoon interceptors shadowed a Russian Tupolev-95 "Bear" reconnaissance aircraft last Friday.

It is the first time the £60m Eurofighter has been scrambled on a genuine alert since it took over defence of Britain's airspace in June.

The MoD said in a statement: "RAF Typhoons from Numbers 3(F) and XI Squadrons launched to shadow a Russian Bear-H aircraft over the North Atlantic Ocean on Friday 17 August 2007."

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,, ... 09,00.html

[LUconn]

this certainly is a long drawn out temper tantrum

[El Scorcho]

Unfortunately it looks like Putin is going to sacrifice his own people just to try and play the tough guy. They just banned BBC Radio in Russia earlier this week. Slowly but surely he's plunging them back into their former way of life.

[LUconn]

aren't they still relatively poor? Where are they gonna get the money to pay for all of this "cutting edge" military stuff? They're just going to collapse again.

[El Scorcho]

AFAIK, they're still the same ol' poor Russia. They are aligning themselves with China and Iran pretty closely, though. So maybe the funding is coming from those two as long as Russia promises to share some tech with them or something. I have no idea really, but it does sound like Putin is making a stab at something.

[LUconn]

In Soviet Russia, Hamburger eats you!

[RagingTireFire]

aren't they still relatively poor? Where are they gonna get the money to pay for all of this "cutting edge" military stuff? They're just going to collapse again.

Hate to bring it up, but there are some remarkable parallels going on right now between the current governments of Russia and that of 1930's Germany/Italy. Between the promotion of ultra-nationalism, the suppression (and possible assassination) of dissidents, the government seizing control of the industrial infrastructure (which, by the way, is what actually constitutes fascism, contrary to what the hippies would tell you), the build-up of the military and a rising totalitarianism. Imagine Mussolini with nukes. All I'm saying is Poland better watch out.

[Rocketfan]

aren't they still relatively poor? Where are they gonna get the money to pay for all of this "cutting edge" military stuff? They're just going to collapse again.

Hate to bring it up, but there are some remarkable parallels going on right now between the current governments of Russia and that of 1930's Germany/Italy. Between the promotion of ultra-nationalism, the suppression (and possible assassination) of dissidents, the government seizing control of the industrial infrastructure (which, by the way, is what actually constitutes fascism, contrary to what the hippies would tell you), the build-up of the military and a rising totalitarianism. Imagine Mussolini with nukes. All I'm saying is Poland better watch out.

Don't forget, with the populations life expectancy getting shorter i thought like Sept 12th was declared a "make a baby day" or something, where everyone gets off work to try to increase the population. They even get entered into drawings if they give birth 9 months later or something......

[LUconn]

hmmm, and is Russia currently accepting applications?

[El Scorcho]

In Soviet Russia, Hamburger eats you!

Ladies and gentlemen, our first Soviet Russia joke on FlameFans.com. An Internet standard has arrived in our presence.

[LUconn]

I honestly say that in my head every time somebody says something about Russia. One of the best Simpson's lines ever.

[El Scorcho]

U.S. to leave Cheyenne even as Russia flexes muscle

Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:34PM EDT
By Kristin Roberts

CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN, Colo. (Reuters) - The U.S. military will move its secure command center from deep inside Cheyenne Mountain even as Russia revives military maneuvers that led America to burrow under the rock almost 50 years ago.

Construction on a new command center 12 miles away at Peterson Air Force Base is well under way despite security concerns that have driven some lawmakers to consider halting funding for the transition.

The move will shift more than 100 people responsible for detecting attacks on North America from a facility that sits under 2,000 feet of granite to a basement in an office building on the base that officials concede offers lower protection.

But Col. Andre Dupuis, a Canadian officer at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the Cheyenne-based U.S.-Canadian operation commanded by Renuart, bristled at a suggestion that North America does not face the threat Cheyenne was built to defend against. He said Russia may not intend to harm the United States but certainly has the capability.

"Threat is capability and intent," Dupuis said. "They (the Russians) have a very useful, capable, powerful armed forces and they would be silly not to use them in whatever ways that are in their best national interests."

"They have capability. I don't believe they have intent," he said. "But it doesn't mean we ignore them then because there could be a threat."

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/ ... geNumber=2

When the Canadian brass has more testicular fortitude than the men at the Pentagon, we are in serious trouble.

[El Scorcho]

Russia to send manned mission to the Moon by 2025

16:05 | 31/ 08/ 2007

MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti) - Russia plans to send cosmonauts to the Moon by 2025 and establish a permanent manned base there in 2027-2032, the head of the space agency said Friday.

Anatoly Perminov said that in accordance with Russia's space program through 2040, a manned flight to Mars will be carried out after 2035.

He said that toward the end of this year, Russia will have 103 satellites in orbit, up from the current 95.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070831/75959612.html

[LUconn]

yeah, their space station is working out so well. That thing is an orbiting piece of trash. Good idea ruskies.

[ALUmnus]

You know they're doing this to claim the moon and it's vast resources for mother Russia. First the artic, then the moon, what's next, Newfoundland?

[RubberMallet]

aren't they still relatively poor? Where are they gonna get the money to pay for all of this "cutting edge" military stuff? They're just going to collapse again.

no. Russia is sitting on what could be a 150 + billion barrels of oil. with the recent global oil boom and the fact that nearly half of russia's gvt funding comes from the major oil companies, they are actually doing quite well....you wouldnt' know it if you drove through russia because its all going to military funding....

we have to be afraid of putin who's appointing his own people into elected positions and growing his military ridiculously...


solid call dubeeya...