Webloggin » Putin Puts Private Pursuit Packing

President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree making Russia’s main state-run weapons exporter, Rosoboronexport, “the only enterprise in Russia with the right to conduct foreign trade activity in relation to all products of military purpose.” Putin did this with one swipe of his ink pen. Done. Beginning and end of discussion. Sounds like the old Russia is baaaack!

Just who is Russia selling these arms to? China, India, Venezuela, Algeria and Iran.

Previously, the aircraft maker MiG and several other arms manufacturers had the right to directly export their products.

Russia’s arms exports exceeded $6 billion in 2005, setting a new post-Soviet record.

Last year, a report released by the U.S. Congressional Research Service said that Russia was ahead of France and the United States in arms deals with developing nations in 2005. It said Russia had developed good financing and payment arrangements, as well as extensive licensed production agreements to increase its market share. (source)

Putin will be traveling to India next week, but prior to that visit Russia plans to conduct the “inaugural flight” of the aircraft carrier-borne MiG-29 fighter jets being produced specifically for India. India plans to spend $30 billion on weapon imports during (2007-2012) and is the ‘the largest arms importer in the developing world‘.

Through the sonic boom generated by the MiG-29, Russia intends to send a strong message that it’s keen to retain the edge over other countries in supplying military hardware and software to India despite deep inroads being made by Israel, France and now increasingly, the US. [snip]

As part of the $1.6 billion (Rs 6,900 crore) deal signed with Russia in January 2004, the Indian Navy will get 16 MiG-29s along with the 44,570-tonne Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, now rechristened INS Vikramaditya. While 12 of these fighters will be the single-seat ‘K’ variants, the other four will be twin-seater ‘KUB’ trainer versions. (source)

So what is really going on in Russia? Viktor Erofeyev in the Herald Tribune asks, “Who’s using gas to twist the arms of its neighbors — Georgia, Ukraine and now Belarus? Who’s conducting an ethnic cleansing campaign against those same Georgians? Who killed the independent journalist Anna Politkovskaya and poisoned Alexandre Litvinenko before the eyes of the world? Who’s playing a double game in Iran?”

Others:

Jim Buie’s Blog