Sanctions haven't been kind to Putin's Plans for Modernizing the Russian Military

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Russia’s economic crisis is forcing President Vladimir Putin to quietly scale back plans to build an “indomitable” military, even as Moscow readies one of the largest-ever displays of its might on Red Square this weekend.

Russian tanks take part in the rehearsal for a military 
parade at Red Square in Moscow on Thursday. 
 Photo: European Pressphoto Agency

When Mr. Putin promised to spend more than 20 trillion rubles to modernize the military in late 2010—some $650 billion at the time—some senior officials questioned whether Moscow could afford it. Now left with fewer petrodollars and grappling with Western sanctions, the Kremlin is being forced to cut spending and delay other defense plans.

Cadets in St. Petersburg carry the Soviet Banner of 
Victory as part of festivities marking the 70th anniversary 
of the defeat of Nazi Germany ahead of Saturday’s 
Victory Day celebration. Photo: Dmitry Lovetsky/AP

The modernization project was aimed at replacing 70% of Russia’s armaments, much of which dates back to the Soviet era, with hundreds of modern tanks, guns, submarines and fighter jets. In turn, Russian military spending doubled between 2007 and 2013.

Little information is publicly available about the defense expenditures, and where the cuts will fall isn’t clear. But even Mr. Putin has acknowledged that the dates for the modernization plan may need to be shifted.

Russian army officers speak to a crew member of the new 
T-14 Armata tank after it stopped abruptly on Red Square
 during a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade. 
 Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

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... But a report published in April by Moscow-based defense think tank CAST said Russia’s military spending has reached a crisis. “The modern Russian economy just does not generate enough resources to finance the current 2011-2020 rearmament program,” CAST said in the report. “This seriously reduces the ability to efficiently renew the Russian armed forces’ equipment.”

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The ruble’s devaluation alone has hit Russia’s military spending, the third-highest in the world in dollars before the crisis, according to a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Now, Russian military spending ranks seventh or eighth globally, Ruslan Pukhov, head of CAST, estimates. ...

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and follow the link to a related story below:

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