Putin's Ambitions and Russia's Military Feebleness

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly portrayed the Bulava missile as tangible proof of the modernization of the Russian armed forces. Putin is rushing his “pet programs” like Bulava as if strategic confrontation with the United States is already on track, while the last elements of military cooperation are being dismantled or discontinued. Just a year ago, the value of such cooperation was vividly demonstrated when a British rescue team saved the Russian mini-sub Priz trapped in old radar antennas near Kamchatka. Now the enlarged military pride of the “great energy power” demands confident swinging of the nuclear “mace,” even if only virtual.