Abstract
The Russian Federation has come back on the international scene, in the past years, thanks to its economic expansion and its political stability. The defence sector, a pillar of the Soviet regime, takes advantage of this situation and is receiving increasing funds, although the fraction of the GDP remains constant. Some experts fear a renewed arms race and a new threat for the world security. The analysis of the overall figures leads to a more moderate view. The situation of the Armed Forces suffers from many problems and it is far from being dangerous for the world stability. The core of the Army, the personnel, is in a terrible situation with a huge gap compared with other developed nations. In addition, Russia endures a demographic collapse and it will be always more difficult to find capable arms that use the new generation armaments of the proclaimed modernization plans.
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Notes
Cooper (2007), p. 16.
Author’s interview with V. Shlykov, 21 November 2007.
A. Zolotov’s interview with V. Shlykov, “Starting From Scratch Military expert Colonel Vitaly Shlykov says that military reform can only happen if Russia forgets plans made for the Cold War”. Russia Profile Magazine, 2 July 2007.
According to the US Census Bureau, the annual demographic reduction should be around 400 thousand units, 10 millions until 2025; according to UN Statistical Department, the figure would be 840,000, 25 millions until 2025 (Herd and Sargsyan 2007).
Figures reported by Russian Military Family Association (Glodkorn Cimetta 2007)
Isakova (2006), p. 25–29.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to Giorgio Dominese (LUISS University), who followed my dissertation on Russian military affairs with constant dedication and patience, Alexei Gromyko (Russian Academy of Sciences), who gave me the precious and unique possibility of interviewing many Russian experts in Moscow and LUISS “G. Carli” University in Rome, that made my journey to Moscow possible.
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De Angelis, F. The Russian Military Spending: Modernization Not Rearmament. Transit Stud Rev 15, 588–600 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11300-008-0028-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11300-008-0028-z