By VICKIIE OLIPHANT
Disseminated Worldwide by Public Opinions International
MOSCOW, 15th December 2016
VLADIMIR Putin is throwing billions of pounds at his navy and air force as Russia’s military prepares to launch a major invasion, according to a former top British officer.
Much of the Russian armed forces was inherited from the Soviet-era in the 1970s and 1980s and has recently been the target of increased spending from the Kremlin.
And Admiral Lord West, the ex-head of the navy, now fears Moscow could be building up to more campaigns abroad, despite its struggling economy.
He said: “They have completely modernised their force. They are much more dangerous now. We have to wonder what’s going on.
“Their military spending is unsustainable. There will either be an economic breakdown or foreign adventurism.”
He added that Vladimir Putin “understands power” and the West must show it has “powerful forces” it would be ready to use.
However another expert, analyst Alex Kokcharov, claims the military might of Russia is still made up of little more than rusting hardware.
He said the West should have nothing to fear from the former superpower as while the armed forces may have been extensively upgraded, many elements remain outdated.
The country risk analyst at IHS said: “A lot of money was spent on military upgrades and exercises in certain sections, but these changes have not been across the board.
“The Admiral Kuznetsov air carrier that was sent to Syria is a prime example. It is very old Soviet technology. Construction began in the early 1980s.
“Russia will only become involved in small military operations like Georgia and Ukraine.
“Putin and the Kremlin know large numbers of bodies will damage Putin’s credibility. There will be no large-scale conflicts.”
The comments come shortly after a Russian jet crashed into the Mediterranean as it attempted to land – the second bungled landing in weeks.
The MiG-29K plunged into the sea just after taking off from the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, Russia’s only one.
The ageing vessel was commissioned in 1990 but has since been plagued by tehcnical faults – and its steam turbine power plant is so unreliable, the carrier is even unable to leave port without a sea-going tug in case it breaks down.
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