Researcher: New Russian weapons coming to areas near Finland
Sergei Ivanov, Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister for the Russian Federation, told on Wednesday the Russian Duma - the federation's legislative body - about plans to spend billions of roubles to modernise the nation's armed forces in the coming years.
The effects of Russia's ambitious weapons programme will inevitably be felt in the areas near Finland. This is the estimate of Dr. Markku Salomaa, chairman of the Foundation for Foreign Policy Research.
The motives behind Ivanov's speech have since been a cause of much speculation.In the media, one possible explanation offered for Ivanov's reaction is as a countermeasure against the American missile defence system undertaking. Another reason may be the gradually warming presidential election campaigning. Ivanov is seen as one of the two strong figures possibly worthy of consideration as the Kremlin candidates to follow the current President Vladimir Putin.
"Russia's northern (Leningrad) military district is a first line military district and will therefore be among the first to receive the first line weaponry as well", says Salomaa, who has familiarised himself with the development of the Russian armed forces.
The emphasis in the northern military district is on the air force and air defence systems. At the moment the district does not have any strike aircraft, but according to Salomaa this deficiency will be rectified in the next few years.
"On the 15th of December, the first two Suhoi-34 fighter-bombers rolled out of the factory. The aim is to manufacture 200 of them, 58 of which will be situated in the northern district."
"I believe it is clear that some of the new SS-26 "Stone" missiles will also be placed in the northern district", Salomaa continues. The SS-26s can be armed with conventional as well as nuclear warheads, and their maximum range is over 500 kilometres.
In the Baltic region, Russia now has several economically vital targets, such as the Primorsk oil terminal, the Sosnovyi Bor nuclear power plant, and the newly planned underwater gas pipeline. Additional projects for the near future include the expansion of the Primorsk harbour, and the building of a liquid gas terminal at the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland.
The underwater gas pipe, in particular, is expected to increase the Russian military presence in the Baltic Sea. According to information obtained by the Finnish Ministry of Defence, the Russian submarine fleet will quadruple at the very least in the next few years.
According to Salomaa, Russia has currently three submarines operating in the Baltic Sea, two of which are continuously at sea, while one is being serviced.
Salomaa cautions against overestimating the importance of defending the energy sector. The primary mission of the Russian fleet in the Baltic is still safeguarding the Kaliningrad enclave.
Major Juha Mäkelä of the Finnish National Defence University points out that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov has repeatedly emphasised the importance of nuclear weapons in the Russian arms programme. Mäkelä sees the development as worrying, particularly from the point of view of Russian-American relations.
Mäkelä also notes that talks of blocking ballistic missiles have an indirect effect on Finland as well. "Russia has an important radar base near St. Petersburg", he explains.
"As Russia's aim is to elevate the effectiveness of its military forces beyond that of the former Soviet Union machinery, then surely that is important", Mäkelä concludes.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 9.2.2007 - TODAY |
 Researcher: New Russian weapons coming to areas near Finland
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