Russia postpones Iskander missiles export

Last month, July 2014, it was announced that Russia may sell Iskander missiles systems to China. 

MOSCOW, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia embargoed export of Iskander missile systems until 2016 due to insufficient production capacities, the weaponry producer said Wednesday.

"Production of these missiles is a bottleneck. The Votkinsk plant (in northwestern Russia's Udmurt republic) has been working to the limits of its capacity," Itar-Tass news agency quoted a deputy director of the KBM Machine-building Design Bureau as saying.

The official said that all potential clients have been informed about the delay, as he was attending an arms expo in the city of Zhukovsky outside Moscow,

The KBM cannot swiftly increase Iskander production for the Russian Armed Forces to 12 systems a year required by the Defense Ministry, he said.

The Iskander tactic missiles system is an advanced ground-to-ground first-strike complex with a range of 500 km.

The Tiger and the Bear: China-Russia Alliance Shrouded in Mystery

Russian President Boris Yeltsin, still brushing dust off his shoulders from the Berlin Wall’s collapse, traveled to Beijing in late December 1992 to meet with his Chinese counterparts. Newspaper headlines at the time made much ado about Yeltsin’s decision to cut the visit short, with some speculating he sought to placate concerns of the U.S. Congress – fresh off a Cold War “win” – about a new pan-Asian, anti-American bloc. Others believed it was the inevitable result of decades of animosity between the two Eastern powers, combined with a renewed Chinese anger over Russia’s abandonment of true communist ideals.

Whatever the cause, outside observers could agree on what brought the two leaders together: China was expanding and wanted cutting-edge technologies, including military weaponry, and Russia desperately needed cash. The leaders signed accords and held a summit to usher in what the Chinese called "relations of good-neighborliness and friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation."

 In this Aug. 24, 1991, file photo, then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin clenches his fist during the funeral of three young men killed during a coup attempt in Moscow.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin in 1991.
"For the former Soviet Union, China was a potential enemy," Yeltsin said at the time. "But today, for Russia, it is no longer a potential enemy."

More combat aircraft to enter Eastern Military District service by the end of 2014

More than 10 modern combat aircraft, including the Su-30SM will enter service of the Eastern Military District aviation units by the end of this year.

As the press service of the EMD reported, more than 15 aircraft joined the Eastern Military District aircraft fleet in 2014. So, “4++” generation Su-35 fighters are  navigated by the pilots of the regiment, based in the Khabarovsk Territory, and Su-30SM fighters entered service in the aviation unit, based in the Zabaikalye Territory.

Source: DefenceRussia

Why Doesn’t Russia Support China in the South China Sea?

theDiplomat

Recently, tensions over maritime disputes in the South China Sea seem to have surpassed even those caused by the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. China and Vietnam are embroiled in their worst political conflict in decades over an oil drilling platform near the Paracel Islands. The resulting anti-China protests in Vietnam brought China-Vietnam relations to a temporary halt. In addition, the Philippines’ detention of Chinese fishermen has increased the discord between China and the Philippines. With all these frictions occurring at the same time, the situation in the South China Sea has suddenly become very serious.

Against this background, we have seen the U.S. criticize China, express support for Vietnam, and shield the Philippine military. But we have not heard Russia, China’s “strategic partner,” take a stand on the South China Sea disputes, much less publicly support China’s position.  This has upset some people in China, who now think that China-Russia relations aren’t as good as previously imagined. Even on the Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute between China and Japan, Russia has kept an ambiguous position. In my eyes, however, this does not mean that Russia’s is of two minds in its relationship with China. Instead, there are complicated political and strategic factors, including four main reasons I will list below.