Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called a spate of Iranian missile tests ‘worrisome’ but has urged for ‘calm‘ in advance of the negotiations process. NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin has said now that US missile defense looks to be based around cruisers, ‘under very bad circumstances’ there may be elements deployed in the Arctic. Tony Halpin in the Times argues the corner for Russia joining NATO. An op-ed piece in the Moscow Times suggests that despite the reset, anti-US sentiment is rife in Russia. President Medvedev has praised the purely ‘defensive’ joint Russia-Belarus Zapad 2009 war games.
‘Putin’s friends lost the election‘: the Moscow Times reports that Russian opposition activists are pleased to see the Social Democrats take a beating in Germany’s election. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has implored Russia to turn in the three people who he believes were responsible for his near-lethal poisoning, who he now believes are in Russia.
The New York Times says that the new EU-commissioned report on last year’s war between Russia and Georgia looks likely to apportion blame to both sides. The Guardian has a report on Georgia’s Irakli Alasania, the most likely replacement for Mikheil Saakashvili? Human Rights Watch has condemned Russia for disregarding rulings by the European Court of Human Rights on Chechnya, failing to bring perpetrators of violence to justice. A senior Dagestani official has been shot dead in Moscow.
Apparently Switzerland is ready to hand over more documents to Russian legal authorities regarding charges against exiled billionaire Boris Berezovsky. Mikhail Khodorkovsky has said that Russian prosecutors are hiding evidence that would de-incriminate him against new charges which would add 20 years more to his sentence. Former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov is reportedly ready to stand as a witness at the ex-Yukos chief’s trial.
The Moscow Times reports that under new laws internet providers will be obligated to provide information to the state about its users. RFE/RL describes how the Kremlin is attempting to stave off accusations of ecological neglect in the construction of the Sochi Olympic facilities with leopards.
PHOTO: President Medvedev wore a naval forces jacket emblazoned with a badge reading D.A. Medvedev, commander of the military forces of the Russian Federation, at the ‘West-2009′ military exercises, September 28, 2009. (AFP)
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” NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin has said now that US missile defense looks to be based around cruisers, ‘under very bad circumstances’ there may be elements deployed in the Arctic. “*The fact is that NOBODY in the western medias has analyzed this issue as a military issue but as a diplomatic issue .NOBODY has taken in account the following declaration of Robert gates made on sept 17 th .” We have the capacity to deploy missile ships ( AEGIS system – Note of the Redactor ) in the NORTH and in the SOUTH of Europe “All the , so-called , ” experts ” , were focusing on the ” diplomatic deal” but NOBODY has analyzed the military consequences and the declarartions of Robert Gates .And perhahps , those who made this analysis , didn’t even watch a map !If the ” NORTH ” means the Baltic and the Arctic Ocean , the ” SOUTH ” means obviously the western part of the Mediterranean sea in front of Syria or the Black Sea .Gates also added that ” this ( AEGIS ) ships will be deployed against Iran and perhaps other sates “Obviously ” other states “in this configuration means Monaco , Lichenstein or the Republic of San Marino ………
Rogozin has been repudiated by his own people.http://www.canada.com/news/Kremlin+source+disowns+Russia+NATO+envoy+remarks/2050987/story.htmlI wonder if Russia exercises the same caution in avoiding “emotional” responses to, say, Shamil Basayev.I doubt it greatly.