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What was new on START Web site?

February, 2001

February 21, 2001
The report Precision Guided Weapons and Strategic Balance (in Russian), by Eugene Miasnikov, is now available on-line.

President Vladimir V. Putin called on Europe and the NATO alliance to work with Russia on developing a common defense against missile attacks and presented a set of proposals to the NATO secretary general, Lord Robertson, who is visiting Moscow. Robertson said the plan was evidence that both NATO and Russia recognized the threat of missiles from unstable states and had to work together to counter it.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said last week Russia was "part of the problem" in missile technology proliferation, which has made the United States want to build a national missile defense.U.S. Russia angrily rejected U.S. allegations.

On February 15, 2001, the second international working meeting of experts on the problem of creating a global control system for the nonproliferation of missiles and missile technologies (GCS) was held in Moscow. Representatives of more than 70 countries and of the United Nations took part (Russian MFA Official Statement, February 15, 2001)

Prof. Theodore Postol, former Pentagon adviser, an american physicist and an expert on missile technologies, said in exclusive interview to the leading German newspaper, that he does not believe in success of the planned U.S. NMD system:

See also: The Bush Defense Agenda, (The New York Times, February 18, 2001)

China opposed U.S. plans to create national missile defense at the Disarmament Conference: Star Wars in Geneva, - in Russian, (by Igor Sedykh, Segodnya, February 20, 2001). On the attitude of China toward the U.S. national missile defense see also A Chinese Perspective on National Missile Defense, (by Dingli Shen, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, February 20, 2001)

Russia test-fired nuclear-capable strategic missiles from air, land and sea on Friday:

The Washington Times continues to insist that nuclear arms are deployed at Kaliningrad Region:

"...What is missing, however,(in the package of Bush administration proposals on nuclear weapons policy - E.M.) is an appeal to the concept of strategic stability..." Tampering With Strategic Stability, (by Leon Fuerth, The Washington Post, Thursday, February 20, 2001)

Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye recently published an article Russia to Lose Its Nuclear Status, - in Russian, which was placed recently at the START web site.

Colonel Igor Novosyolov, Ret., who served over twenty years in the Main Engineering Directorate of the Strategic Rocket Forces, tells about development of defense of land based missiles: A Shelter for "Satan", - in Russian, (Krasnaya Zvezda, February 16, 2001)

The George Polk Award-winning National Security Archive at George Washington University published on the World Wide Web 20 previously secret U.S. government documents detailing the policy debate over anti-ballistic missile defenses in the 1960’s and early 1970’s: Missile Defense Thirty Years Ago: Deja Vu All Over Again?

Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye published the review on the book "The Nuclear Circulation: What Happened, What Is Going to Happen?" by Nikolay Chervov: History of Nuclear Disarmament, (by Vladimir Belous, Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, February 16, 2001)

According to claims of Boris Spasski, the Director of "Rubin" Central Design Bureau, the picture of the "Kursk" accident is clear for experts. However, another thing is telling the truth to the broad audience. Members of the Ñommission, investigating the accident, disagree on this particular issue:

Sinking Japanese fishing trawler by SSN Greeneville underscores the urgent need for an agreement on safety of undersea operations: Remembering "Kursk", - in Russian, (by Yuri Beketov, Krasnaya Zvezda, February 22, 2001)

State Duma Environmental Committee recommended to approve a package of laws, permitting import of spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing and storage. The Duma is scheduled to consider the documents today:

February 15, 2001
Germany's foreign minister Joschka Fischer returned back from Moscow after intensive negotiations with top Russian officials. One of the major topics was the problem of U.S. national missile defense. Mr. Fischer will be in Washington next week and he is expected to deliver the Moscow attitudes to the Bush administration. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov is meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on February 24.

"...Confrontation with the United States on ABM Treaty modification is not productive and it does not correspond to the national interests of Russia...": A Tango with Russia, (by Andrey Piontkovskii and Vitaly Tsygichko, Segodnya, February 14, 2001). See also the views of Sergei Rogov and Georgy Shakhnazarov:

As the Bush administration takes the first steps toward carrying out its campaign promise of a global missile defense, a stark reality is setting in: Bush's initiative carries heavy up front costs -- budgetary, political and diplomatic -- but the benefits to American security and foreign policy lay far off in the future.

Defense conference in Munich clearly demonstrated that European countries will not support the Russian current attitude toward the U.S. NMD:

"...At present, space is far less militarized than any other realm of human activity. However, the abrogation of the ABM treaty would immediately open the way to two new types of offensive strategic weapons: space-based anti-satellite weapons and space-based anti-missile systems capable of destroying ICBMs either in the atmosphere or in space (or, potentially, on the ground)...": Security in Space, (by Vladimir Kozin, The Moscow Times, February 12, 2001). See also on the Chinese attitude on this problem in: China Attacks U.S. Missile Plans, (by The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Tuesday, February 13, 2001; 6:09 AM)

George Tenet's testimony in the Senate provoked a harsh reaction of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and numerous comments in the media:

President Bush ordered a comprehensive review of the nation's nuclear arsenal, a first step toward the unilateral cuts in warheads and missiles that he promised during last year's campaign:

See also:

President Bush pledged new spending for unmanned weapons and other futuristic military technology that he expects will quickly overshadow the tanks, aircraft carriers and other heavy weapons that once defined a nation's might:

We began publication of the Internet version of Eugene Miasnikov's report Precision Guided Weapons and Strategic Balance (in Russian), which caused much attention among experts. In nearest future the full report will be available on-line.

Experts question expediency of spent fuel imports and of "plutonium" project:

At the Russian START Forum: on a speed of ICBM warheads near their targets and technical capabilities to track bombers fr

February 7, 2001
Speaking at a defense conference in Munich Russian Security Council secretary Sergei Ivanov on Sunday attacked U.S. plans to deploy a national missile defense (NMD) shield, which he said would set the stage for an arms race in outer space:

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov proposed new disarmament initiatives last Friday in Geneva:

Russian official attitude toward ABM Treaty remains unchanged. Ambassador Yuriy Kapralov, Director, Department for Security Affairs and Disarmament, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation elaborated on the Russian official position: Effects of National Missile Defense on Arms Control and Strategic Stability, (presentation at forum "The Missile Threat and Plans for Ballistic Missile Defense: Impact on Global Security" (Rome, 18-19 January 2001). See also:

Russian Foreign Ministry criticized recent reports of the US military conducting training exercises to practice "Star Wars" scenarios:

Russian experts offer ways to overcome the deadlock in nuclear arms reductions and the missile defense problem:

Vladimir Petrovskii, General Secretary of Conference on Disarmament, Deputy General Secretary of the United Nations: The Conference on Disarmament Makes No Headway, - in Russian, (Dip Courier, February 1, 2001)

"...The leadership of the Army and Navy did not have any strategy of the reform of the Armed Forces. They do not have it either. The things we can watch now are too far from worrying about true enforcing defense capability. Unfortunately, they look as a fight of personal ambitions, a sort of "lugging of a rope...", (The Military Reform Became A Circling Around, - in Russian, Mikhail Khodaryonok, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, February 2, 2001) See also:

OLMA Press agency published a book The Nuclear Circulation: What Happened, What Is Going to Happen? by Nikolay Chervov, former Head of the Directorate for International Agreements of the General Staff, the Soviet Armed Forces. The author analyzes the negotiation process on limiting and reductions of nuclear arms of the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union (Russia) since the 1960-s until these days.

Should Russia approve importing spent fuel for reprocessing? The discussion continues:

At the Russian START Forum: on heavy missiles, prospects for U.S. strategic arms reductions and other issues.

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