The Russian president has definitely made an obvious progress in building up Russia’s military arsenal and reconsidering its foreign policy. Putin’s strategy is now capable of threatening the American decision-makers. International relations’ watchers cannot claim that the US can totally control the new world order as it did at the beginning of the 21st century.
When, in 2003, the US invaded Iraq, once a zone of SSSR and, later, Russian influence, the Kremlin had no choice but to sit back and watch like the rest of the world. Later, Russia refused to comply with the NATO’s plans in Ukraine. But now, Russia is the number one player in the Syrian crisis.
The three Russian strategic shifts in international policy happened in ten years.
Putin went far to exploit the US tone of hostility against Russia. On 1 March, he talked at the Federal Assembly about Russia’s improving weapons arsenal. Experts said the new Russian strategic weapons create a qualitative difference in terms of armaments between Russia and the NATO. The Russian Intercontinental-Range Ballistic Missile (Satan in NATO’s terms) was described by the Chinese media as capable of deterring any potential US strike against Russia.
In his annual speech to the Federal Assembly, President Putin revealed that more than 300 new military equipments have been approved by the Russian armed forces since 2012, including 80 new ballistic missiles and three strategic submarines. He noted that Russia’s industry has begun to batch-produce modern weapons with an increase of 3.7 times. Putin pointed out that his country is producing non-ballistic strategic weapons that can evade any missile defense system.
He said the country had tested this cruise missile with the “nuclear power energy unit” in 2017 and it was successful.”This is unheard of and nobody else has such a system in the world,” he added.
The new Russian missile system, equipped with an intercontinental Sarmat (with the total weight of over 200 tons), will replace the Voevoda missile system. The R-36 M2 Voevoda missiles are currently the most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles in the world. What would be more destructive than the R-36 M2?
The unstoppable drone submarines can be used to blow up foreign ports. This new Russian weapon has high operational capabilities that threaten the security of the US.
Russian experts think that the new Russian strategic weapons are not part of a new arms race. They believe that there is no longer a race or competition as Russia has taken a big technological step in this regard. The new Russian weapons can target and deteriorate American aircraft carriers that cost tens of billions of dollars. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the new weapons will avoid a new armament race between Russia and the US. He noted that Russia has produced weapons that exceed existing and future missile systems in the West, adding that this can maintain Russia’s security and sovereignty for decades.
Western military reports indicate that the new Russian military arsenal is an unpleasant surprise to the US. The Syrian war has revealed some weak points in some advanced weapons, including American tanks. Experts think that the fifth generation of the American fighter jets is less developed than the Russian one. The Russian tank T-90 and the fifth-generation fighter jets, the Sukhoi Su-57, have proven effective in the Syrian war.
This kind of competitiveness is usual to the two countries’ relations and should not be a basis to assess the balance of power between countries. These developments, however, have once again brought comparisons between the Russian and American armies in terms of combat efficiency, weapons capabilities. The outstanding readiness of the Russian army is due to geographical expansion and the numerous wars it waged over the past two decades.
Is the Putin era an era of a potential international war? That’s a NO.
The Russian bellicose rhetoric comes at a peculiar time: Russia’s presidential elections are around. The Russian administration has been preparing for this move for more than a decade, especially after George W. Bush withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001. The two administrations of Bush and Obama have failed to contain the Russian anger at US missile systems. Putin wants to be Russia’s hero, seeking to restore Russia’s might on the world stage. He does not want the Atlantic to deal with it as a force of the past.
The Russian president is aware of the differences of power between the US and his country. Russia still needs to make progress at the economic, politic and development levels, not only military. Only that way, Russia can be the leader of the new world order, instead of the US.
