Russians test new weapons

The Russian armed forces have conducted military exercises 
which, according to Russian First Deputy Chief of Staff Yury 
Baluyevsky, "are aimed at training in new usages of strategic 
arms, and troops incorporated in strategic nuclear and 
conventional forces".

Among the new weapons tested during these war games was a 
hypersonic space vehicle that could lead to weapons capable of 
penetrating missile defences.

Yury Baluyevsky said the vehicle was capable of moving at more 
than five times the speed of sound and could manoeuvre in orbit.

"The flying vehicle changed both altitude and direction of its 
flight", Baluyevsky said at a news conference. "During the 
experiment  we have proven that it's possible to develop weapons 
that would make any missile defence useless."

Mr Baluyevsky refused to comment on what kind of engine the 
vehicle had, how long its flight lasted, how it manoeuvred and 
what combat load it might carry in the future.

Russian President Putin had claimed a day earlier that Russia 
could build unrivalled new strategic weapons.

Russia's announcement comes after the US withdrew from the Anti-
Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 to develop a missile shield.

President Putin wants to rejuvenate Russia's military power and 
re-establish Russia as a world power.

Russia-USA relations deteriorated markedly after the US attack on 
Iraq last year. Continuing NATO expansion will see US troops 
presently stationed in Europe move eastward to Bulgaria and 
Romania.

Several Central Asian countries, former Soviet republics, are 
negotiating a long-term stationing of US troops on their 
territory and the situation in the Caucasus continues to be 
volatile.

In short, Russia perceives itself to be under threat and the 
latest war games are aimed at demonstrating that it can protect 
itself and inflict damage if needs be.