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June 17, 2015

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Russia to add nuclear missiles, Putin says

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin said yesterday Russia will this year add 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal.

Putin made the announcement a day after Russian officials denounced a US plan to station tanks and heavy weapons in NATO states on Russia’s border as the most aggressive act by Washington since the Cold War.

Tension has resurged between Russia and Western powers over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis. The West, led by the European Union and United States, has imposed punitive economic sanctions on Russia.

“More than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles able to overcome even the most technically advanced anti-missile defense systems will be added to the nuclear arsenal this year,” Putin said in a speech at the “Army 2015” arms fair.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles have a minimum range of more than 5,500 kilometers. Putin gave no details of which missiles were being added.

He vowed to continue a major arms modernization program despite the nation’s economic downturn, and specifically mentioned Armata tanks and other new armored vehicles, which were first shown to the public during a Red Square military parade last month, saying they “have no analogues in the world.”

Putin said the military is set to start testing its new long-range early warning radar intended to monitor the western direction and later will deploy another one in the east.

Seventy percent of the military gear in use will by 2020 be the most up-to-date and top-quality, he said.

Putin has said several times that Russia must maintain its nuclear deterrence to counter growing security threats, and that Moscow reserves the right to deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea.

Russian officials warned on Monday that Moscow would retaliate if the US carried out its plan to store heavy military equipment in eastern Europe, including in the Baltic states that were once in the Soviet Union.

“The feeling is that our colleagues from NATO countries are pushing us into an arms race,” RIA news agency quoted Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov as saying at the arms fair.


 

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