Russia hands over Nerpa nuclear submarine to India; PM Putin is ready for dialogue with ‘non-system’ opposition; NATO believes that there has been an improvement in its relationship with Russia; Russia’s new Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin appointed as chai
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    • Reports noted that Russia has handed over the K-152 Nerpa nuclear-powered attack submarine to the Indian Navy. In line with the contract worth over $900 million, the Project 971 Shchuka-B (NATO: Akula II) class sub has been leased to India’s Navy for ten years. It will be renamed the INS Chakra. The ceremony took place in the Far Eastern Primorye Territory. Russian submariners trained their Indian colleagues to steer the Nerpa in the Pacific Ocean. The event was attended by Indian ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra, United Shipbuilding Corporation head Roman Trotsenko, Eastern Military District commander Admiral Konstantin Sidenko and other officials. 1

    According to reports, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said that he was ready for dialogue with the Voters’ League and the “non-system” opposition but lamented the fact that nobody turned up for the meeting despite the invitation send out to them.2

    In another develoepmnt, NATO’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said that there has been an improvement in relationship between the North-Atlantic pact and Russia. Rasmussen mentioned that NATO remains committed to the proposal of building a strategic partnership with Russia on the principles of security and mutual trust as specified by the agreements the two sides reached in November 20, 2010 at Lisbon.3

    Reports noted that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has been appointed as chairman of the military industrial committee under the Russian government. Rogozin replaces Sergei Ivanov who had headed the committee till the end of 2011 before being appointed as chief of the Russian presidential staff. Rogozin was earlier posted as Russia’s representative to NATO. 4

    Meanwhile, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has supported Grigory Yavlinsky’s nomination as a presidential candidate and added his signature to the list of his supporters. 5

    According to reports, Russia and NATO have approved a cooperation plan for 2012. Although the details were not released immediately, it is believed that they will continue to work on the agenda set for the previous year. These include: joint combat training programme, increased contacts between military medics and specialists in logistics, disposal of homemade explosive devices, training of military personnel, cooperation in the fight against piracy off the Horn of Africa and cooperation on Afghanistan. 6

    According to reports, Russian Space Agency Roscosmos is in talks with its European and U.S. partners on the creation of manned research bases on the Moon. The Moon base project appears to revive the 1950’s Cold War-era plan of creating a permanent outpost on the Moon. Moreover, Russia is also planning to send two unmanned missions to the Moon by 2020. 7

    Reports noted that more than 30 MiG-31 Foxhound supersonic interceptor aircraft are on round-the-clock high-alert duty every day protecting the Russian airspace from airborne threats. MiG-31 interceptors are an integral part of a comprehensive aerospace defence network being created in Russia to thwart any potential airborne threats, including ballistic and cruise missiles and it is estimated that 370 of them remain in active duty. 8

    According to reports, Russia believes that Japan’s position on the Kurile Islands is not conducive to better relations between Russia and Japan. The dispute lies in the fact that both Japan and Russia lay claim to the Kuril Islands. All Japanese who lived on the South Kurile Islands were deported to Japan when the Soviet Union took over these territories after the Second World War. 9

    Reports noted that the Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces will put in service two new strategic missile-carrying cruise submarines of Borey class 955 Yuri Dolgoruky and Alexander Nevsky by the end of this year. A total of eight Borey submarines will be built at the Sevmash shipyard under the state armament program through 2020. 10

    According to reports, Russian deputy premier in charge of Defence, Rogozin has said that the US and its NATO allies have about one thousand missiles capable of intercepting Russia’s intercontinental ballistic missiles. He was speaking in the backdrop of deadlocked Russia-NATO missile defence talks. Russia is seeking written and legally binding guarantees that the U.S.-backed European missile defence program will not be directed against it while the US has refused to provide any guarantees. 11

    In other develoepmts, according to reports, two Russian diplomats have left Canada amid spying allegations of receiving sensitive NATO and Canadian military information. 12

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