MOSCOW — President Dmitry Medvedev watched a missile soar from Russia's rain-soaked northern forests toward a target thousands of kilometers away on Sunday, capping a weekend of launches reminding audiences at home and abroad about the country's nuclear might.

Prominent coverage of the tests on state-controlled television also seemed designed to boost the bookish Medvedev's credentials as commander-in-chief in the eyes of the Russian populace.

On Sunday, Medvedev saw what officials said was the successful test-firing of a 21-year-old Topol intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile hit its target thousands of kilometers to the east on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Medvedev told servicemen who conducted the launch.

"Respected comrades , you have fulfilled your task and I congratulate you," Medvedev, dressed in a dark bomber jacket, told servicemen in bulky blue uniforms in a clearing near the Plesetsk launch facility.

The tests come amid increasingly strained ties with the United States following the war with Georgia and persistent Russian opposition to U.S. plans for a missile-defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic, former Soviet satellites now in NATO.

Russia has been flexing its military muscle worldwide. It is sending a naval squadron to Venezuela for November exercises, a Western Hemisphere deployment unprecedented since the Cold War. Last year, then-President Vladimir Putin ordered the resumption of long-dormant global patrols by strategic bombers.

Russian officials have said newer versions of the Topol can penetrate any missile defense.

"We will strengthen our military capability, we will adopt new types of weapons, but we will continue to test the traditional ballistic missiles we have in service," Medvedev said. "Their effectiveness has stood the test of time, and that is very good. It shows that our shield is in order."

On Saturday, Medvedev watched the test of a Sineva missile launched from a submarine in the Barents Sea. Officials said it flew more than 7,100 miles (11,500 kilometers) and hit a target in the Pacific Ocean near the equator.

Sunday's land-based launch was followed by two missile launches from nuclear-powered submarines, one in the Barents Sea and one in the Sea of Okhotsk, off Russia's eastern coast north of Japan, Russian news agencies reported. The weekend launches are part of wide-ranging military exercises called Stability-2008.

Medvedev — a former lawyer who comes across as milder than his predecessor and mentor Putin — has watched several military exercises since taking office.

He faces an uphill battle in matching the tough-guy image of Putin, a KGB veteran and judo black-belt who is now prime minister and is widely seen as more powerful than Medvedev.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/6054080.html


Medvedev witnesses record missile launch
Russia's northern fleet has held military exercises in the Murmansk region. Russia's President Dimitry Medvedev praised the maneuvers paying special attention to the launch of the intercontinental missile ‘Sineva’, which he watched from Russia's only aircraft carrier.

The ministry of defence says the rocket, which was fired from the fleet's nuclear submarine ‘Tula’, reached its longest distance yet – 11,547 kilometres.

Medvedev also gave the ministry the task of building more aircraft carriers in the next few years.

http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/31737


Russia has test-fired its newest missile in the midst of tense political times: Russian anger over a US missile shield and Washington's condemnation of Moscow's behavior in Georgia make for a frosty relationship.

In a statement from the navy on Thursday, Sept. 19, Russia said that "a new-generation Bulava ballistic missile was successfully fired from the White Sea to the Kura testing site in Kamchatka" in Russia's far eastern region.

With a range of 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles), the Bulava can be equipped with up to 10 individually targeted nuclear warheads.

The missile test-fire comes during a time when US-Russia relations have hit a post Cold War low after Moscow's recent military intervention in Georgia. Washington harshly criticized the military move.

Russia, too, has recently expressed anger over US plans to establish a powerful missile-tracking reader in the Czech Republic as well as interceptor missiles in Poland.

Russia doubts US intentions

According to analysts, Russia is now beefing up its missile systems to counter the planned US shield in the region which it views as a tactical move by the US to deter Russia's nuclear activity.

Washington, however, maintains that the shield is too small to defend against Russia and is instead meant to protect against "rogues states" such as Iran.

The latest test launch also comes only three weeks after Russia test-fired the intercontinental Topol RS-12M missile.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3656357,00.html


[b]The world is about to witness a new arms race, no thanks to the Bush doctrine of military encirclement of arch rival and foe Russia. It is expected that Russia will respond in a predictable way, afterall no serious nation will want to be encircled by enemy missile defence system. In a world where cowboy diplomacy is the only rule of engagement and militarism is the means to an end, it is only a matter of time, uncle sam is taking the world back on the familiar path to self destruction.

A new re-alignment may be in the making with the like of Venuzuela, Iran, North Korea, China etc aligning behind Russia against the West. This is expected and predictable, if 50years of bipolar world (Warsaw & NATO) led to the break up of the former USSR, a peace loving West should ve slow down NATO expansionist policies in a way that will not allow Russia to rebuild the old block. But NATO under US leadership was not satisfied with the West's victory over the East rather they want to neutralize Russia's voice through encirclement.

Consolidating victories may look acceptable but with a nuclear armed Russia with oil wealth to flex muscle, the West should think twice. The greates concern to us in the developing world is the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, after the break up of the former USSR, statistics showed tha 1 in every 3 Russia has knowledge of nuclear weapon, and for a country that is generous with their natural talents and resources little wonder are selling enriched uranium to terrorists and rebels all over the world. It is high time America put an end to this madness and let the sleeping dog lie.[/b]

Hopefully, the nama in the White House will not be replaced by another nama.

President Obama will deal with Russia with more respect and candour.

@RichyBlack
I quite agree with you, Obama has the intelligence and the goodwill to douse the tension and actively engage all the stakeholders in the international system for a better world. Let's hope the American people will not make the same mistake twice come November.

Thank God we have Russia.

Otherwise, it would be another wipe-out like they wiped-out RED-INDIANS:

you either with us or against us policy and you tell me there is DEMOCRACY in that USA!!

Can you get it to Americans head: some of us just wanna be left alone!!

DEMOCRACY is a political,social and economic force that could be hijacked by forces of evil, the mainstream republican party stronghold belongs to the " Military Indutrial Complex" A conglomerates of high tech arms industries that produces a sizeable percent of world military weapons. This group of people profits from various military expeditions of United States, they re war mongers, constructive diplomacy is of no use to them, only senseless war will sustain their financial gain and profits.

That is why Bush is militarilizing the whole world, the latest in this agenda is Africa through AFRICOM. Sometimes, I think American people are the mob, I wonder why a president will be squandering billions of tax payers money on dangerous adventures all over the world and there will be no mass protest to dislodge such an irresponsible president from office.

I really pity the American public, they re suffering and all their resources are wasting away across the globe.

SegzyJoe:

@RichyBlack
I quite agree with you, Obama has the intelligence and the goodwill to douse the tension and actively engage all the stakeholders in the international system for a better world. Let's hope the American people will not make the same mistake twice come November.

All the indications point to one thing - many now regret electing George W. Bush a second time. McCain is no different from Bush on most important issues, so I hope Obama wins! Let's see, let's hope!

landis:

Thank God we have Russia.

Otherwise, it would be another wipe-out like they wiped-out RED-INDIANS:

you either with us or against us policy and you tell me there is DEMOCRACY in that USA!!

Can you get it to Americans head: some of us just want to be left alone!!

amin amin, God bless those peaceful Russians.

bawomolo:

amin amin, God bless those peaceful Russians.

I will stick with Russian than Americans

With Russians the rules are clear, with AMERICANS, they just love to wipe everybody out: RED-INDIANS, HIROSHIMA, IRAQI.

Please, Stop Blowing it up.

Some months back a nairalander said that Woirld War 3 was in Place.

landis:

I will stick with Russian than Americans

With Russians the rules are clear, with AMERICANS, they just love to wipe everybody out: RED-INDIANS, HIROSHIMA, IRAQI.

you damn right, with russians the rules ae clear. get down or stay down. word to chechenya.