Valdai Club

John Peet

Friedbert Pflüger

Pavel Pozhigailo

Stefano Pilotto

Nikolai Pavlov

Andrei Pyatakov

Goran Petronijević

Gleb Pavlovsky

Giorgio Prodi

Ruslan Pukhov

Russian Federation

Director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), Member of the Public Council under the Russian Defense Ministry.

Materials

The Russian Military Campaign in Syria: The Balance of Forces and Possible Risks

The Russian military campaign in Syria is a political landmark comparable to Crimea’s reunification with Russia or the conflict in Donbass.

Russia’s Naval Doctrine: New Priorities and Benchmarks

Russia’s Naval Doctrine represents a systemic document that underlies the national maritime policy and constitutes an integral part of the Russian leadership’s strategic planning, which focuses on expanding the Navy and pursuing a national maritime policy as a top priority.

Russian Weapons to Save Iraq

An additional consignment of three TOS-1A Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower systems were unloaded from a transport vessel in the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr. Russia not only returned to Iraq’s arms market after an interval of more than 20 years, but also helped its authorities to prevent its seizure by the Islamists.

The Myth of Hybrid War

A closer examination of history debunks the idea of hybrid war as an innovation. The actions classified as hybrid war have been fairly standard in low-intensity armed conflicts around the globe in recent decades, if not centuries. It is hard to imagine the use of military force without information support or economic sanctions, covert warfare, or attempts to demoralize the enemy and exploit divisions in the enemy camp.

IISS Military Balance Report: Food for Thought and Conclusions

The Military Balance 2015, the latest assessment of the military capabilities of most countries in the world, published by the influential London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), is of special interest. After all, it was prepared during the sharp escalation of international tensions over the Ukraine crisis.

The Ukrainian Crisis: Possible Implications for the Russian Military Industry

The greatest threat to Russia’s defense capability comes from cutting off military imports from Ukraine. Being able to promptly replace Ukrainian manufacturers seems unrealistic, and a ban on Ukrainian defense product supplies could become a real threat to proper performance under the state defense order and several export contracts.

Russian Military Complex: Results of 2013 and Expectations for 2014

Russia has been the runner-up on the global arms market for three years now. Soviet and Russian weapons are referred to in the West as “simple and deadly.” It is comfortable to serve on German submarines, but Soviet and Russian submarines are better for fighting. But this is changing. Russia’s current demographic trends will compel it to follow the Western road, investing in higher technology and producing fewer arms.

Military Exercises in Eastern Russia: Initial Results

Apparently, the Russian leadership and the new heads of the Defense Ministry have remained largely satisfied with the degree of readiness of the Russian armed forces in the Far East. This is all the more significant, because the troops stationed in Siberia have traditionally been considered somewhat inferior to their counterparts in European Russia.

Russia's Special Opinion on the Arms Trade Treaty

The increase in transparency envisaged by the Arms Trade Treaty does not present a substantial threat to the Russian arms business. The treaty requires information on the amount of arms supplies rather than their cost, which could potentially threaten the commercial interests of Rosoboronexport.

Russian-Venezuelan Military Cooperation After Chavez

The Russian-Venezuelan military technical cooperation is bound to wither away gradually following Chavez’s death under any political scenario. Venezuela has contracted more weapons than it needs and its market is close to saturation. It will most likely honor its contracts with Russia as long as the supporters of Chavez remain in power, but new contracts are unlikely.

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