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Follow news of the Russia-Georgia conflict as its develops with the Newswire headlines on the top left side of this website.
Russian tanks surge into South Ossetia to protect Russia's citizens and peacekeepers after the Georgian Army attacked the breakaway region this week, killing over 1,000 civilians. Georgia has claimed South Ossetia as its territory since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1992, while South Ossetian separatists have sought independence and perhaps union with North Ossetian compatriots in Russia.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev: "In accordance with the constitution and federal law, I, as president of Russia, am obliged to protect the lives and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are located. We won't allow the deaths of our compatriots to go unpunished."
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin: "War has started after a well-planned invasion." Putin appealed to world leaders for help.
Spokesman for President George W. Bush: "Russia and Georgia should cease hostilities and hold talks to end the conflict."
Russia Blog: Our view is that it’s not polite to start a war during the Olympic Games - a tradition that has celebrated peaceful athletic competition between nations since ancient times. The Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili decided to send his army into South Ossetia while major world leaders were attending the opening ceremony of 29th Olympiad in Beijing - after reassuring European Union chief envoy Javier Solana on Thursday that he had called for a unilateral ceasefire.
If Saakashvili and his advisors believe that being a strong U.S. ally means that they have a "green light" from Washington for these rash moves, they are sorely mistaken. A few hours after the fighting started, President Bush and Prime Minister Putin were discussing the crisis face to face at the Olympics.
Continue reading "War in Georgia?
Caucasus Violence Took Europe by Surprise" »
Czar Nicholas II and his family were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918
Editor's note: In the fourth part of his masters thesis, "The Misconception of Russian Authoritarianism", St. Petersburg University graduate Kevin Cyron examines the history of political and economic reforms in Russia from the 19th century Czars to Mikhail Gorbachev and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Click on the links to read previous installments in this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Click on the extended post to read part four of this extended essay.
Continue reading "The Misconception of Russian Authoritarianism:
Part 4 - From Reformist Czars to Gorbachev " »
Five generals have been found guilty on corruption charges, and 757 criminal cases have been opened against legal officials in the government's fight against the corruption.
Solzhenitsyn. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a man of unshakeable integrity and courage, who did more to kill Soviet Communism than anyone else, died on Sunday. His body lay in state at the Academy of Sciences and Putin and Gorbachev paid their respects. He was buried yesterday at the Dmitriy Donskoy Monastery in Moscow and Medvedev attended. Lately he had begun to sound rather out-of-date but I suspect his influence will endure for many years.
Corruption. Medvedev signed his national anti-corruption plan and the Russian text is up on his website. A number of laws and amendments are expected to go to the Duma next month. Some features are restrictions and regulations for disposal of state assets and a provision by which companies can be responsible for the corrupt actions of employees. Speaking of which, the labor in the Augean Stables continues: so far this year, the military prosecution office says that five generals have been found guilty on corruption charges and the Investigative Committee states that 757 criminal cases have been opened against legal officials.
Continue reading "Russian Federation Situation Report
August 7, 2008 " »
This article was inspired by Barack Obama's speech in Berlin.
(Photo by The New York Times)
President Dmitry Medvedev's plan to redesign Europe's security system with Russia as its integral part, followed by the Russian foreign ministry's tough statements aimed at America and intended for McCain and Obama's consumption, show that the new Kremlin administration is serious about becoming a global player on the international geopolitical arena.
Interestingly, practically at the same time Pentagon came out with its new military doctrine which mentions Russia as a potential security threat. Here is a direct quote from the June 2008 National Defense Strategy report: “Russia’s retreat from openness and democracy could have significant security implications for the United States, our European allies, and our partners in other regions…. Furthermore, Moscow has signaled an increasing reliance on nuclear weapons as a foundation of its security. All of these actions suggest a Russia exploring renewed influence, and seeking a greater international role.”
Continue reading "The Looming Crisis" »
by Paul J. Saunders
If you were running the largest newspaper in the capital city of the world’s sole superpower, which foreign-policy issues would you select as your top priorities? The war in Iraq? Terrorism? Nuclear terrorism, something that could change the American way of life forever? Energy policy, which is already severely affecting many Americans’ lives? If you don’t like these, what about China, India, Iran, North Korea, the Middle East peace process or climate change?
The Washington Post’s answer to this question may surprise you: it’s Georgia (the one ruled from Tbilisi, not Atlanta). In barely more than five months since the beginning of January, Lexis-Nexis shows that the Post’s editorial pages have carried at least nineteen separate contributions focused on Georgia and its relations with Russia—almost one per week—if one combines editorials (seven) and opinion pieces (twelve).[1] The vast majority of these (but not all) have the same thesis: that Georgia, under grave threat from Russia, must be rescued by the United States, usually through accelerated membership in NATO and American pressure on weak-kneed Europeans.
Continue reading "The Washington Post
...or Tbilisi Post?" »
Download the PDF version of the report Russia’s Construction Equipment Market
Gazprom Building To Be Constructed In St. Petersburg (Photo by The Design Blog)
Eastern Europe and Russia, in particular, is currently home to one of the most dynamic and attractive construction equipment markets in the world. The tremendous growth of Russian businesses, sustained high price of oil and gas, political and economic stability, as well as growing foreign direct investment and international trade have all contributed to the growth of Russia’s construction equipment industry. As the construction boom continues across the country, considerable demand for Western made heavy construction equipment continues to grow.
Fueled by rapid economic growth over the last seven years, Russia is now one of the most rapidly growing construction equipment markets in the world. With an average of 10 to 25 percent growth in the market annually, Russia offers Western construction equipment companies enormous opportunities for growth and expansion. (1) The construction and mining machinery market in Russia is expected to continue to grow strongly for at least the next 3-5 years. The market for construction machinery was worth $2.1 billion in 2006, and is estimated to reach as much as $2.6 billion in 2007. (2)
Continue reading "Market and Industry Report:
Russia’s Construction Equipment Market" »
President Putin presenting the State Prize to Alexander Solzhenitsyn at the author's home outside of Moscow, June 2007 (Photo by: Getty Images)
The life of Alexander Solzhenitsyn can be described as a series of great miracles which could eventually earn him the status of the Saint in his Slavic Orthodox religion. Surviving Stalin’s Gulag where millions perished, recovering from a deadly cancer disease, and, most importantly, achieving a great moral victory over his Soviet tormenters and, moreover, Communist ideology should certainly qualify him for this honor.
One need only compare the headlines of major Soviet newspapers calling him a shameless and sold-out traitor to his Motherland and CIA lackey with the praise from former KGB officer and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who came to Solzhenitsyn’s house last year and thanked him “for the great work you do for our country” to see that many of his ideas have miraculously materialized.
Edward Lozansky is President of the American University in Moscow.
Solzhenitsyn (right) with the late Fr. Alexander Schemann
Just over thirty years ago, Alexander Solzhenitsyn (Алекса́ндр Иса́евич Солжени́цын), who passed away at his home outside of Moscow last weekend at the age of 89, was greeted warmly by a group of students at the commencement for Harvard University's class of 1978. The Harvard graduates likely expected to hear some typical words of inspiration before going out into the world, or an analysis of Solzhenitsyn's novels, or the progression of the Cold War. What they received instead was a sermon, a jeremiad hurled against the very society they were about to join as adults, as well as against the dying Soviet system that had exiled Solzhenitsyn to the West. On the audio recording of the speech, many graduates can be heard applauding loudly, while others murmur, probably wondering when this old man they regarded as a crazy, reactionary Russian would finally shut up.
To read excerpts from one of Solzhenitsyn's final interviews, click here.
Click on the extended post to find more thoughts on Solzhenitsyn, and to read a transcript of his most famous speech.
Continue reading "Remembering Solzhenitsyn: A World Apart" »
Solzhenitsyn in Vermont near his U.S. home in exile
Yesterday The New York Times and National Review offered contrasting profiles of the great Russian dissident and writer, who passed away at his home outside Moscow on Sunday. Russian Orthodox funeral services will be held tomorrow at the Dimitri Donskoy Monastery in Moscow, where Solzhenitsyn requested to be buried. The Donskoi necropolis houses the tombs of many prominent families and liberal scholars from 19th century Russia, the graves of Red Army soldiers who died defending Moscow from the invading Nazis, and anonymous victims of the NKVD buried by the Church. Solzhenitsyn, who fought his way into East Prussia in 1944-45 as a Red Army artillery officer, wanted to be buried close to his comrades.
Continue reading "Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Age 89, Passes Away" »
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears - or in a reasonably priced cup of coffee
Forbes is reporting for the third straight year that Moscow is the most expensive city in the world according to a cost of living survey of expatriate professionals conducted by Mercer, a UK-based global human resources firm. Expats who have lived like native Muscovites for a long time may argue that prices in London and Tokyo are worse (and indeed, when it comes to rent for a luxury apartment, Tokyo still takes the cake) but Forbes leaves Moscow at the top of this dubious category. A cup of black coffee costs $10.83 in Moscow, but a latte with an hour of Internet access at Kafe Haus or Chocolatnitsa will could cost you considerably more.
Although around the clock traffic jams, high food and housing costs, low entry level salaries in return for long hours, air pollution and snow turning to muddy slush five months out of the year may keep many talented Russians and foreigners away, the city still has its charms; 24-hour shopping and restaurants, street musicians performing for a few rubles in the Metro, reliable if crowded mass transit, wild night life, fine arts and culture, and beautiful women.
Click on the extended post to read "the rest of the story".
Continue reading "The World's Most Expensive Cup of Coffee:
The End of an Era for Expats?" »
Solzhenitsyn: In June 2007, then President Vladimir Putin (r.), who presented Alexander Solzhenitsyn with the State Prize, Russia's highest humanitarian award, visited the writer at his home on the outskirts of Moscow. (Photo by RIA Novosti)
One writer among the Soviet dissidents did the most to force Western awareness of the true nature of the Communist regime during our complacent years of the Sixties and Seventies. He was the same writer who did a huge service to the West in 1978 when, accepting an honorary degree at Harvard, he had the courage to tell the truth about Western materialism and spiritual decay. Solzhenitsyn was sage yet again in his characterization of the Russian Federation in recent years. He was a stern but enormously good prophet.
Solzhenitsyn's last interview, with Der Spiegel, was discussed on Russia Blog just a year ago.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn's death at 89 was just announced.
Audio of Solzhenitsyn's "A World Split Apart" address to graduates at Harvard University, June 8, 1978
Solzhenitsyn broke taboos, shook Soviet empire (by Associated Press)
Russian stores on Brighton Beach in New York
"I think this will hurt immigrants' long-term assimilation into American society, both socially and economically," predicts Russian émigré Yuri Mamchur, director of the Seattle-based Discovery Institute's Real Russia Project. "Most workplaces require them to speak English. This policy does them no favors."
By Deroy Murdock
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
August 2, 2008
NEW YORK - If you like bilingualism, you will love septalingualism.
Big Apple Mayor Michael Bloomberg's latest brainstorm outstrips his notorious war on trans-fats, both for its audacity and sheer senselessness. America's largest municipality soon will conduct official business in English and Spanish - which would be bad enough - plus five other foreign languages: Russian, Chinese, Korean, French Creole and Italian.
Continue reading "New York City Says It - Officially - in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, French Creole and Italian" »
Here are some pictures that a friend in Moscow took in June 2008. Some photos include the Mirax Group's gargantuan Moscow City complex, and other pics highlight torrential downpours, sunsets, and rainbows in the city.
In addition to the usual summertime fare of un-air conditioned heat, bigger traffic jams to get out of town to dachas on Fridays and shorter skirts, Moscow has also experienced a bizarre number of people getting struck by lightning this summer, with multiple fatalities. Many of the victims were talking on their cellphones in the middle of thunderstorms, and one man talking on his mobile was struck by lightning even while sitting in a grounded car (he survived). The authorities have advised Muscovites to turn off their cellphones during electrical storms - not a simple request in my experience, as many Muscovites won't even turn off their "handies" at the movies or the opera.
Enjoy the photos!
Continue reading "Summer Skies in Moscow" »
Cafe Europa
It’s a rainy Saturday morning (July 26, 2008) and I’m killing some time while my wife gets her nails done. I’m sitting in the Europa Cafe on Severnaya Street drinking some coffee and writing this blog post.
Europa Cafe is one of the best places in Krasnodar to have a business meeting. The location is very convenient to the center of Krasnodar and perhaps most importantly, there’s a parking lot just meters from the front entrance.
Click on the extended post to read more.
Continue reading "Europa Cafe, Krasnodar, Russia" »
Tsar Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) depicted after murdering his own son in a famous painting by 19th century Russian artist Ilya Repin
Editor's note: In this third part of his thesis, St. Petersburg University master's program graduate Kevin Cyron examines the history of U.S.-Russia relations and of Russian representative government from medieval times to the 18th century.
Click on these links to read Part 1 and Part 2
Click on the extended post to read Part 3 in the series.
Continue reading "The Misconception of Russian Authoritarianism:
Part 3 - The Roots of Russian Democracy" »
Thanks to energy prices, Russia has more than half a trillion dollars in reserves and US$44 billion in debts
The Duumvirate. I regard The Economist as a generally worthless commentator on Russia, useful only because it is a reliable guide to the “mean sea level” of conventional opinion. In its 6-12 October 2007 issue, it was confident “It has always been a question of how, not if, Vladimir Putin would retain power”. Now it’s not so sure: maybe Medvedev is in charge. Its latest piece (Johnson's Russia List/2008/130/6) finally understands that Putin could have amended the Constitution easily and run for a third term.
The point is not that The Economist has become any more thoughtful but that its change of mind is an indication that conventional opinion is coming around to the idea that maybe the whole thing wasn’t, as the October 2007 headline read, “Vladimir Putin: The Never-Ending Presidency”. Revisiting my five hypotheses, I am coming to think that the choice is now between Numbers 4 and 5: I never thought 1 and 2 very likely and 3 is certainly dead. For what it’s worth, but presumably signalling new tactics if not a new strategy, there has been criticism of some of Putin’s legacies appearing in the Russian press.
Continue reading "Russian Federation Situation Report
July 31, 2008" »
Jack Matlock served as U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1987 to 1991
Ambassador Jack Matlock served as the point man for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in Moscow from 1987 to 1991, a period which saw the end of the Cold War. The Carnegie Council in Washington D.C. recently sat down with Ambassador Matlock to talk with him about the current state of U.S.-Russia relations. Ambassador Matlock's thoughts may surprise those who would claim that carrying forward the legacy of President Reagan means continued confrontation with the Russians in their back yard. Instead, Matlock points to the need for additional cooperation to tackle the consequences of global problems, including nuclear proliferation and climate change.
Click on the extended post to watch Ambassador Matlock's and other videos related to U.S.-Russia relations.
Continue reading "Jack Matlock, Reagan's Ambassador to the USSR
On U.S.-Russia Relations" »
Reuters has an interesting update on the subject of my Russia Blog post from last week (The Consequences of Growing U.S.-Russia Financial Ties That Bind).
As it turns out, the Russian Central Bank still owns $50 billion in U.S. government-backed agency securities, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but this is short term (less than one year) paper, and the central bank will let the paper reach maturity and presumably move on to another investment. Russian sovereign holdings of U.S. agency securities are still dwarfed by the $400-$500 billion held by Chinese central banks.
Click on the extended post to read an excerpt from the Reuters story.
Continue reading "Reuters: Russia Cuts Exposure to Fannie, Freddie" »
Download the PDF version of the report Hotel Industry in Russia
Is it a Mercedes dealership? No, just a parking lot by a new 5-star hotel in downtown Moscow...
(Photo by: Yuri Mamchur
The hotel industry is expected to become one of the most dynamic sectors in Russia,
for two major reasons:
- 1. Tourism to Russia is increasing at a very fast pace.
Russia currently receives up to 40 million tourists per year, (1) and this number is
anticipated to rise in both its domestic and foreign component. According to Moscow
City Government estimates, the current number of tourists visiting Moscow is around
2.9 million per year, and this is estimated to reach 5 million within the next decade.
By comparison, Berlin attracts 3.2 million, Vienna 2.8 million, and London 18
million. (2) Furthermore, by year 2020, Russia is expected to be among the 10 top most
visited countries in the world, attracting 3 percent of the world’s tourist market. This
trend is confirmed by figures for the first quarter of this year (2007) when tourism has
increased by 20 percent. (3)
- 2. The industry is still modest in size compared to that of Western countries, and it has not developed homogeneously.
While in the ‘90s Moscow and a few other cities in Russia experienced tremendous growth in the upper tier of the hotel market, now this sector is close to saturation. The concentration in the expensive five-star hotel market limits the alternatives for tourists and business people, who usually look for lower prices while still expecting Western security and comfort standards. (4)
Continue reading "Market and Industry Report:
Russian Hotel and Hospitality Market" »
Tom Barnett - strategist, consultant, Green Bay Packers fan
Thomas P.M. Barnett is the New York Times bestselling author of The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the 21st Century and Blueprint for Action: A Future Worth Creating. Barnett's forthcoming book, Great Powers: America and the World After Bush will be released on February 5, 2009. In addition to writing books, Barnett works as a speaker and consultant, presenting his ideas to audiences around the globe ranging from top U.S. military commanders to Chinese businessmen. Barnett's consultancy, Enterra Solutions, among many other projects, has worked with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to open an IT support center in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Barnett recently gave an interview to the editors of the KatPol blog, a website focused on global foreign policy issues published in Hungary. It seems that if anyone should be concerned about Russia using energy as a political weapon, it would be the Hungarians. Like many of its Central European neighbors, Hungary experienced 45 years of less-than-voluntary membership in the Soviet bloc and to this day (in spite of some promising natural gas finds in the country) depends on Russia for over 90% of its oil and gas.
Click on the extended post to read the Russia-related excerpts from this interview.
Continue reading "Thomas P.M. Barnett:
"Russia Is a Business Masquerading as a Government"" »
Dimitry Rogozin is a retired three-star general and nationalist politician
The last time Dimitry Rogozin appeared on Russia Blog over two years ago, he was starring in a television ad for his nationalist Rodina (Motherland) Party, in which he depicted Azerbaijani immigrants in Moscow as scruffy watermelon-eating hooligans. In this notorious video, Rogozin and an elderly man confront a group of migrants over their insulting a young Russian mother pushing a pram. As action movie music blares in the background, Rogozin and the elderly man place firm hands on the ruffians and demand , "Do you understand Russian?" A slogan then flashes across the screen which translates as, "We will sweep the garbage from our city". The ad was so blatantly racist that it actually got Rogozin banned from running for a seat in the Moscow City Duma in 2006.
After throwing Rodina's support behind Putin and United Russia, Rogozin has been given a new platform to air his strong nationalist views, this time as Russia's Ambassador to NATO. However, it would be difficult to characterize the remarks he made at a recent speech delivered at the Nixon Center in Washington D.C as extreme, pugnacious, or chauvinistic.
Click the extended post to read highlights from Ambassador Rogozin's speech in Washington D.C. on July 1, 2008.
Continue reading "Russia's Ambassador to NATO Speaks Out in D.C." »
American flags waved in Berlin at the Obama's rally - a display of rediscovered friendship; some 200,000 Berliners turned out for the speech.
"In this century -- in this city of all cities -- we must reject the Cold War mind-set of the past, and resolve to work with Russia when we can, to stand up for our values when we must, and to seek a partnership that extends across this entire continent." -- Barack Obama, Berlin, Germany
Some say that Senator Barack Obama has little international experience and will have problems building bridges with leaders of foreign nations. However, today, Obama hit the bullseye on issues relevant to the world’s biggest oil producer, one of its top military powers, and, simply put, the largest country in the world - Russia. Some experts on the Republican side who are familiar with the matter say that Obama might have a strong advantage over his GOP rival, Senator John McCain, as many world leaders would be more open to dialogue with a young charismatic president, rather than an old and experienced “Cold Warrior.”
While Russians and Europeans embrace Obama’s rhetoric, it is unclear how American voters will react to the international course taken by the presidential candidate.
“John McCain cannot win, but Obama can lose,” said Senator Slade Gorton today during his lecture at the Discovery Institute in Seattle, Washington.
Can Obama bring back the fondness for America in the world?
Watch the video of Senator Obama's Berlin speech, and visit the extended post to read the text of the American presidential candidate's speech in Berlin.
Continue reading "Obama in Berlin: Soothing to the Russian Ear" »
Rolex advertisement banner near Kremlin in Moscow
Download the PDF version of the report "Luxury Watch Market in Eastern Europe"
Summary of Contents
I. Overview of Global Luxury Market
A. Luxury Watch Market
II. Russian Market
A. Macro Environment
B. Luxury Goods
C. Luxury Watches
III. Ukrainian Market
A. Macro Environment
B. Luxury Goods
C. Luxury Watches
Continue reading "Market and Industry Report:
Russian and Ukrainian Watch Market" »
Russia's Central Bank does not hold Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debt - but what about the rest of its U.S.-mortgage backed debt holdings?
Over a year ago I wrote about Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert Kimmitt's trip to Moscow ("Is the U.S. Seeking Capital from Russia's Stabilization Fund?"). In June 2008 RosBusinessConsulting reported that Mr. Kimmitt was in Moscow to ask the Kremlin and Russia's Central Bank to invest more petrodollars in the U.S. Mr. Kimmitt gave RBC an interview, but provided few details about his discussion with Russian Central Bank officials, so the report was largely ignored by the Western media.
At that time, American media outlets were more focused on the prospect of Arab and Chinese sovereign wealth funds acquiring equity stakes in U.S. companies, and the potential political backlash to such moves. Russian companies such as Evraz and Severstal have proven to be saavy about their American acquisitions, (so far) flying under the radar screen of an increasingly unpopular and protectionist U.S. Congress, which clearly has much bigger fish to fry now than worrying about what the Russians are buying.
As we now know, most of the Russian money that was invested in America went into "safe" U.S. government-backed agency debt securities. After the collapse of IndyMac Bank in California on July 12, 2008, Russia's Central Bank denied that it held any Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac equity, and declared its billions in U.S. debt holdings to be safe. Today the New York Times is reporting ("Trouble at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Stirs Concern Abroad") that Russian buyers currently hold $75 billion worth of U.S. agency securities backed by pools of mortgages, farm credits, and other loans.
Continue reading "NYT: Russians Hold $75 Billion of U.S. Agency Securities The Consequences of Growing U.S-Russia Financial Ties That Bind" »
Some Notes on the Discussion of the Captive Nations Resolution at the
Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation, July 15, 2008
In the not-too-distant past, it would have taken only a few sentences from a speech made last week by Philosophy Professor Andrei Zubov, who teaches at the Moscow Institute of International Relations (today the most prestigious school for Russia's future top level diplomats) for him to end up in a Gulag for at least five years or more. Especially considering that in his opening remarks, he was talking about horrific Soviet crimes against humanity while looking directly at Philip Bobkov, former head of the KGB's feared Fifth Directorate, which was tasked with fighting ideological subversion by dissidents and other "enemies of the state".
However, this time no one was arrested. Despite a few shouting matches between the roundtable participants at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, all of the proceedings ended peacefully with drinks and endless toasts afterward, as well as mingling between leading Russian and East European scholars, former political prisoners, the editors and authors of Kontinent (an anti-Soviet underground magazine that was funded by the CIA) and former Communist apparatchiks who were top ideologists for the regime in Soviet times.
Continue reading "The Captive Nations Resolution: 50 Years On
Remembering Russian Victims of Communism" »
By Henry Meyer and Sebastian Alison
Soviet-era Tupolev TU-160
July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will meet U.S. President George W. Bush next month after Russia warned it would respond militarily to U.S. plans to deploy a missile-defense system in eastern Europe. Putin will hold talks with Bush on the sidelines of the Olympic Games' opening ceremonies in Beijing, the Russian prime minister's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said today by telephone in Moscow. The Olympics will open on Aug. 8.
Russia may send military aircraft back to bases in Cuba in response to the U.S. missile-defense plans, Izvestiya reported today, citing an unidentified ``highly placed source.'' The government said on July 8 that it would react with ``military- technical'' means to the U.S. system, which it said threatens Russia's security. Russian leaders threatened to aim nuclear missiles at the pl |
