After Landslide Re-Election, Russia’s Putin Tells West: I Don’t Want Arms Race

[Gunny]

March 19, 2018
By Andrew Osborn and Christian Lowe
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a softer tone towards the West on Monday after winning his biggest ever election victory, saying he had no desire for an arms race and would do everything he could to resolve differences with other countries.
Putin’s victory, which comes at a time when his relations with the West are on a hostile trajectory, will extend his political dominance of Russia by six years to 2024. That will make him the longest-serving ruler since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and has raised Western fears of spiralling confrontation.
But Putin, 65, used a Kremlin meeting with the candidates he soundly defeated in Sunday’s election to signal his desire to focus on domestic, not international, matters, and to try to raise living standards by investing more in education (http://www.oann.com/putin-savors-big-victory-after-winning-six-more-years-at-russias-helm/#), infrastructure and health (http://www.oann.com/putin-savors-big-victory-after-winning-six-more-years-at-russias-helm/#) while reducing defence spending.
“Nobody plans to accelerate an arms race,” said Putin.
“We will do everything to resolve all the differences with our partners using political and diplomatic channels.”
His comments, which are likely to be heard with some scepticism in the West following years of confrontation, mark a change in tone after a bellicose election campaign during which Putin unveiled new nuclear weapons he said could strike almost any point in the world..
German Chancellor Angela Merkel wished Putin success and called for more dialogue. But Russia is currently at odds with the West over Syria and Ukraine; allegations of cyber attacks and meddling in foreign elections; and the poisoning in Britain of a former Russian spy and his daughter. As a result, relations with the West have hit a post-Cold-War low.
FREE AND FAIR?
With nearly 100 percent of the votes counted, the Central Election Commission (CEC), announced that Putin, who has run Russia as president or prime minister (http://www.oann.com/putin-savors-big-victory-after-winning-six-more-years-at-russias-helm/#) since 1999, had won 76.69 percent of the vote.
With more than 56 million votes, it was Putin’s biggest ever win and the largest by any post-Soviet Russian leader.
But the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), a rights watchdog, said restrictions on fundamental freedoms, as well as on candidate registration (http://www.oann.com/putin-savors-big-victory-after-winning-six-more-years-at-russias-helm/#), had restricted the scope for political engagement and crimped competition.
“Choice without real competition, as we have seen here, is not real choice,” the OSCE said in a statement.
The CEC said earlier on Monday it had not registered any serious complaints of violations.
Backed by state TV and the ruling party, and credited with an approval rating of around 80 percent, Putin faced no credible threat from a field of seven challengers.
His nearest rival, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, won 11.8 percent while nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky got 5.6 percent. His most vocal opponent, anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, was barred from running.
Navalny, who had called on voters to boycott the election, urged his supporters not to lose heart and said his campaign had succeeded in lowering the turnout, accusing authorities of being forced to falsify the numbers.
EXIT STRATEGY?
Near-final figures put turnout at 67.7 percent, just shy of the 70 percent the Kremlin was reported to have been aiming for before the vote.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down suggestions that tensions with the West had boosted turnout, saying the result showed that Russians were united behind Putin’s plans to develop the country.
He said Putin would spend the day fielding calls of congratulation (http://www.oann.com/putin-savors-big-victory-after-winning-six-more-years-at-russias-helm/#), meeting supporters, and holding talks with the losing candidates.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was among the first to offer his congratulations to Putin, but Heiko Maas, Germany’s new foreign minister, questioned whether there had been fair political competition.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel later told Putin: “It is more important than ever that we pursue dialogue and promote relations between our countries and peoples,” according to a German government statement.
Putin also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan by phone. Macron wished Russia and its people success in modernising the country, while Erdogan spoke with Putin about joint efforts by Moscow and Ankara to resolve the Syria crisis.
A White House spokesman said the United States was not surprised by the outcome of the election and no phone call was scheduled between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
How long Putin wants to stay in power remains uncertain.
The constitution limits the president to two successive terms, obliging him to step down at the end of his new mandate.
Asked after his re-election if he would run for yet another term in the future, Putin laughed off the idea.
“Let’s count. What, do you think I will sit (in power) until I’m 100 years old?” he said, calling the question “funny”.
Although Putin has six years to consider a possible successor, uncertainty about his future is a potential source of instability in a fractious ruling elite that only he can keep in check.
“The longer he stays in power, the harder it will be to exit,” said Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center, a think-tank. “How can he abandon such a complicated system, which is essentially his personal project?”
(Additional reporting by Denis Pinchuk, Maria Kiselyova, Jack Stubbs and other Reuters reporters in Russia, and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Gareth Jones and Andrew Heavens)
http://www.oann.com/putin-savors-big-victory-after-winning-six-more-years-at-russias-helm/

Interesting article that just about covers everything. Last week he was bragging about some missile no missile defense could stop, now he doesn't want an arms race. We shall see.

Of course the legitimacy of the election came up, and everyone knows it's BS, but there's little anyone can do about it even if they wanted to. It's Russia's problem to deal with. As long as he keeps it a Russian problem to deal with.

He still has the matters of Ukraine and 2 poisoned former spies to deal with among other things. Like Syria.

Germany, CHina, and France and of course the two-faced Turks all congratulated him. I don't recall seeing that PM May did, and President Trump ath this point in time has no phone call to Putin scheduled.

[Drummond]

http://www.oann.com/putin-savors-big-victory-after-winning-six-more-years-at-russias-helm/

Interesting article that just about covers everything. Last week he was bragging about some missile no missile defense could stop, now he doesn't want an arms race. We shall see.

Of course the legitimacy of the election came up, and everyone knows it's BS, but there's little anyone can do about it even if they wanted to. It's Russia's problem to deal with. As long as he keeps it a Russian problem to deal with.

He still has the matters of Ukraine and 2 poisoned former spies to deal with among other things. Like Syria.

Germany, CHina, and France and of course the two-faced Turks all congratulated him. I don't recall seeing that PM May did, and President Trump ath this point in time has no phone call to Putin scheduled.

The truth is that an arms race has to have a winner (if there's no draw, that is !). Putin doesn't want to lose it. Indeed, he's much rather the West went to sleep than lose it. While we'd be busily living our lives .. he'd be re-arming, refining, militarily, all the time. Any individual not liking it, well, they can always become a target for assassination ...

As with all control freaks, 'the truth' is not WHAT it is, but what he SAYS it is ...

[Gunny]

The truth is that an arms race has to have a winner (if there's no draw, that is !). Putin doesn't want to lose it. Indeed, he's much rather the West went to sleep than lose it. While we'd be busily living our lives .. he'd be re-arming, refining, militarily, all the time. Any individual not liking it, well, they can always become a target for assassination ...

As with all control freaks, 'the truth' is not WHAT it is, but what he SAYS it is ...I don't see a real need for a "race". Both the US and USSR each have enough nukes to render the planet inhabitable. Not sure how much more of a race you need than that. Updating I guess.

Regardless, if Putin used his "new" BS weapon and has enough to strike EVERY installation in the US that houses nukes and can respond, he alone will put enough nuclear fallout into the atmosphere to send the Earth into a nuclear winter and render the surface uninhabitable.

If you "beat the world" yet live secluded underground and can't even go out and rule the world, what's the point?

[Drummond]

I don't see a real need for a "race". Both the US and USSR each have enough nukes to render the planet inhabitable. Not sure how much more of a race you need than that. Updating I guess.

Regardless, if Putin used his "new" BS weapon and has enough to strike EVERY installation in the US that houses nukes and can respond, he alone will put enough nuclear fallout into the atmosphere to send the Earth into a nuclear winter and render the surface uninhabitable.

If you "beat the world" yet live secluded underground and can't even go out and rule the world, what's the point?

Well, there isn't one. Obviously !

I say 'obviously'. Does Putin see things that way ? If he did, he'd take no actions that create tensions in the world. He'd not risk the animosity of his would-be adversaries.

Yet ... he DOES.

Putin's 'Might is Right' approach is highly dangerous for all of us .. because it may well be true that he's not constrained by the sane viewpoint, and actual REALITY, of the utter pointlessness of an arms race. When you crave power, and a means of consolidating it taken to the point where you'll do literally ANYTHING to maintain your preferred status quo ... how much is 'too much' ?

Power mania is, of itself, the product of a LACK of balance in one's viewpoint.

Take this Salisbury poisoning case. The very fact of risking consequences from it, yet simultaneously believing you can be invulnerable to them, shrug them off, swear black is white when everyone KNOWS otherwise, is its own form of insanity. But .... here we are. With the OPCW now taking samples of the nerve agent for analysis, and in due course they'll establish where it all came from. Simultaneous to that, Russia's denials ratchet UP, become ever more ludicrous.

When the OPCW's findings are known, are we to believe that Putin, or even Russia generally, will accept them ?

Nope. It'll all be 'a Western plot' against Russia ...

With that measure of escapism rampant ... how ISN'T the world threatened by it ??

[aboutime]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/91/52/96/915296147f8e8c3e203facb1bae46497.gif

https://pics.onsizzle.com/uranium-one-as-the-russians-gradually-assumed-control-of-uranium-5476796.pnghttp://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/01/18/05/3048E90200000578-0-image-a-124_1453095714443.jpghttp://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/125500/Vladimir-Putin-Starring-in-a-Western-with-Hillary-Clinton--125684.jpghttps://img00.deviantart.net/94b0/i/2016/351/7/8/hillary_s__clever__uranium_deal_with_putin_by_caci quecaribe-dars6r4.pnghttp://allnewspipeline.com/images/Putinreleaseemails.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/vkKjol2.gifhttp://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Clinton-Putin.jpg

[Gunny]

Well, there isn't one. Obviously !

I say 'obviously'. Does Putin see things that way ? If he did, he'd take no actions that create tensions in the world. He'd not risk the animosity of his would-be adversaries.

Yet ... he DOES.

Putin's 'Might is Right' approach is highly dangerous for all of us .. because it may well be true that he's not constrained by the sane viewpoint, and actual REALITY, of the utter pointlessness of an arms race. When you crave power, and a means of consolidating it taken to the point where you'll do literally ANYTHING to maintain your preferred status quo ... how much is 'too much' ?

Power mania is, of itself, the product of a LACK of balance in one's viewpoint.

Take this Salisbury poisoning case. The very fact of risking consequences from it, yet simultaneously believing you can be invulnerable to them, shrug them off, swear black is white when everyone KNOWS otherwise, is its own form of insanity. But .... here we are. With the OPCW now taking samples of the nerve agent for analysis, and in due course they'll establish where it all came from. Simultaneous to that, Russia's denials ratchet UP, become ever more ludicrous.

When the OPCW's findings are known, are we to believe that Putin, or even Russia generally, will accept them ?

Nope. It'll all be 'a Western plot' against Russia ...

With that measure of escapism rampant ... how ISN'T the world threatened by it ??We lived for decades under the notion that mutually assured destruction drove the common sense train. Even Kruschev backed off. What people don't remember or probably even know nowadays is how far he went before he did back down. You and I both know Putin would've backed Obama down.

I don't know with Trump. He likes to play cowboy, but he's been rather quiet about Russia. No, I don't think it has anything to do with Mueller's BS. Russia can't even affect its own election, much less ours.

I guess now it's a wait and see. He's kept arm's distance from Iran, officially. He's allegedly provided only air and materiel support to Assad. No one's going to prove irrefutably he was behind the poisoning of the 2 Brits, regardless what we know. The only thing anyone can actually attach to him is Crimea.

I'm waiting to see how everyone is going to handle all these sanctions and Trump's tariff and his deals on that. Trump's also got a decision to make in Syria REAL SOON because Ergodan is threatening to move east on the Kurds and that's where the US troops are. Lot of "stuff" hitting the fan at one time.

[Drummond]

We lived for decades under the notion that mutually assured destruction drove the common sense train. Even Kruschev backed off. What people don't remember or probably even know nowadays is how far he went before he did back down. You and I both know Putin would've backed Obama down.

I don't know with Trump. He likes to play cowboy, but he's been rather quiet about Russia. No, I don't think it has anything to do with Mueller's BS. Russia can't even affect its own election, much less ours.

I guess now it's a wait and see. He's kept arm's distance from Iran, officially. He's allegedly provided only air and materiel support to Assad. No one's going to prove irrefutably he was behind the poisoning of the 2 Brits, regardless what we know. The only thing anyone can actually attach to him is Crimea.

I'm waiting to see how everyone is going to handle all these sanctions and Trump's tariff and his deals on that. Trump's also got a decision to make in Syria REAL SOON because Ergodan is threatening to move east on the Kurds and that's where the US troops are. Lot of "stuff" hitting the fan at one time.

I think the real issue IS going to be how the poisoning scandal plays out. It'll tell the world, more clearly than anything else has, just what Putin is all about.

Russia's ambassador to the EU has clearly stated Russia's position as being:

1. Novichok never existed.

2. All chemical agents classifiable as 'weapons', e.g nerve agents, were destroyed decades ago, with the OPCW governing (overseeing) the process, and getting, at that time, Russia's unequivocal assurance of all such agents having been destroyed.

3. No such stocks were ever kept in any former Soviet Republic, country, or State.

4. Speculative .. but an assumption made that Porton Down was ITSELF the origin-point of the nerve agent.

Taking the OPCW's eventual confirmation that this nerve agent, the one that 'never existed', from a stockpile 'destroyed decades ago' ... and try to imagine the level of clearance required for any Russian Department or Agency to use such an agent abroad. The clearance necessary for its deployment HAS to come from high up the hierarchical chain.

If Putin's innocent .. he could order an internal inquiry and tell us its outcome. Instead .. a blanket denial, taken to extreme levels, and one ordered to be given by his ambassador.

The BBC aired a programme tonight which describes in detail the highly repressive 'police State' Putin runs. It confirms that Putin will do away with enemies of his. From stopping them running in elections against him, to police harassment, and worse. If that programme ever appears on YouTube, I'll post a link to it on this forum.

[Gunny]

I think the real issue IS going to be how the poisoning scandal plays out. It'll tell the world, more clearly than anything else has, just what Putin is all about.

Russia's ambassador to the EU has clearly stated Russia's position as being:

1. Novichok never existed.

2. All chemical agents classifiable as 'weapons', e.g nerve agents, were destroyed decades ago, with the OPCW governing (overseeing) the process, and getting, at that time, Russia's unequivocal assurance of all such agents having been destroyed.

3. No such stocks were ever kept in any former Soviet Republic, country, or State.

4. Speculative .. but an assumption made that Porton Down was ITSELF the origin-point of the nerve agent.

Taking the OPCW's eventual confirmation that this nerve agent, the one that 'never existed', from a stockpile 'destroyed decades ago' ... and try to imagine the level of clearance required for any Russian Department or Agency to use such an agent abroad. The clearance necessary for its deployment HAS to come from high up the hierarchical chain.

If Putin's innocent .. he could order an internal inquiry and tell us its outcome. Instead .. a blanket denial, taken to extreme levels, and one ordered to be given by his ambassador.

The BBC aired a programme tonight which describes in detail the highly repressive 'police State' Putin runs. It confirms that Putin will do away with enemies of his. From stopping them running in elections against him, to police harassment, and worse. If that programme ever appears on YouTube, I'll post a link to it on this forum.Here's a BIG difference I see ... we expect Russia t be guilty. Everybody does. IMO, THAT automatically takes away from the severity of the crime. As opposed to say, New Zealand. We'd all be shocked out of our seats if NZ pulled the same crap. Same thing with China or Iran. Yeah, well ... it's China/Iran acting like murderous bastards again. The impact is just not the same.

Then I have to laugh about us. If accused, the US would fall all over itself and explaining away for something it didn't even do.:laugh: Baptist guilt will get you every time :).

I just don't see much coming of it. It's like the Hillary thing. You've read enough of our posts to know how badly we want that dirigible behind bars. Nothing happens. And EVERYONE that can spell KNOWS she's guilty on almost all if not all counts. It's frustrating as Hell.

[Drummond]

Here's a BIG difference I see ... we expect Russia t be guilty. Everybody does. IMO, THAT automatically takes away from the severity of the crime. As opposed to say, New Zealand. We'd all be shocked out of our seats if NZ pulled the same crap. Same thing with China or Iran. Yeah, well ... it's China/Iran acting like murderous bastards again. The impact is just not the same.

Then I have to laugh about us. If accused, the US would fall all over itself and explaining away for something it didn't even do.:laugh: Baptist guilt will get you every time :).

I just don't see much coming of it. It's like the Hillary thing. You've read enough of our posts to know how badly we want that dirigible behind bars. Nothing happens. And EVERYONE that can spell KNOWS she's guilty on almost all if not all counts. It's frustrating as Hell.

Frustrating indeed.

The 'moral' of all this SEEMS to be, if you've got enough power, you can do anything, get away with anything.

Even so, Hitler had good reason for thinking the same. Until ... he was defeated.

I'd suggest this. Anyone being fatalistic about Putin needs to ask: how long will it be, before WE suffer what the UK has ? After all ... we tolerated (effectively so) what happened to Markov and Litvinenko. The latest such incident simply proves -- the more you tolerate, the more you HAVE to tolerate.

I have a link to the Panorama programme ! I think that what I watched tonight was a repeat broadcast. Here is YouTube's recording of it, in full ... I don't need to comment on it. It's just under a half hour long .....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5-zZEYEXZs

[High_Plains_Drifter]

America already spends like nine times more money on it's military than Russia. The only thing they match us on is nuclear missiles, and even then, at some point to have more is pointless when you already have enough to destroy the globe, and even if Putin was able to get missiles on targets inside America, we have enough hidden and on subs to retaliate with to make a parking lot out of Russia. Nuclear war has no winner.

So I did hear this comment from Putin today about wanting to spend more on Russia's infrastructure and raising the quality of life for Russians, but of course, I don't believe a word he says. He might feign as though that's his intention, and spend a couple bucks here and there to give someone that impression, but it'll all be a charade.

And if he thinks he's bamboozled Trump or the Chinese or Brits, he's dumber than I thought he was because we'll know. We probably won't announce it to the world that we know what he's up to, but we'll know. Russia has spies, of which Putin is one himself, well, we have them too, so does China, so do the Brits. Can't get away with much on earth without being found out, the satellites will see it, and even it's underground, someone always talks, computers are hacked, on and on.

[High_Plains_Drifter]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5-zZEYEXZs
Pretty much exactly what I expected to see...

[Drummond]

Pretty much exactly what I expected to see...

Of course. Still, it's nice to have some up to date proof.

I'm just waiting, now, for a Putin 'apologist' to come along and dismiss it all as 'propaganda'.

[High_Plains_Drifter]

Of course. Still, it's nice to have some up to date proof.

I'm just waiting, now, for a Putin 'apologist' to come along and dismiss it all as 'propaganda'.
You know that's coming... :rolleyes:

I see Balu and Papo as fully brain washed tools. I don't take anything they say seriously. They're brain washed to the point where they can't even see that we know they're full of shit. They think they're right and believe only what has been pumped into their closed heads, and deny anything and everything that literally proves with cold hard facts and evidence that they're wrong... BRAIN WASHED TOOLS.

[Gunny]

Of course. Still, it's nice to have some up to date proof.

I'm just waiting, now, for a Putin 'apologist' to come along and dismiss it all as 'propaganda'.An apology is the same as an admission of guilt so I'm betting no on that one.

[Gunny]

Frustrating indeed.

The 'moral' of all this SEEMS to be, if you've got enough power, you can do anything, get away with anything.

Even so, Hitler had good reason for thinking the same. Until ... he was defeated.

I'd suggest this. Anyone being fatalistic about Putin needs to ask: how long will it be, before WE suffer what the UK has ? After all ... we tolerated (effectively so) what happened to Markov and Litvinenko. The latest such incident simply proves -- the more you tolerate, the more you HAVE to tolerate.

I have a link to the Panorama programme ! I think that what I watched tonight was a repeat broadcast. Here is YouTube's recording of it, in full ... I don't need to comment on it. It's just under a half hour long .....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5-zZEYEXZsSimple but effective formula: Putin never says another word about the poisoning. A couple of months down the road, he cuts off all support to Syria, Iran and N Korea and it escalates to hostilities. Putin will be the West's new hero. Forgotten will be Crimea and the poisoned Brits. Everyone will be cheering him on to kick Iran's ass.

Look how that played in reverse for Saddam. Or even Stalin. Saddam went from good guy to goat in one move by his choice of opponents. Stalin went from evil oppressor to ally based solely on who his enemy was.

And the World buys it. The same formula works in pro wrestling. Even boxing. Look at Ali. He went from draft-dogging POS because he picked a bigger POS (Foreman) as his opponent. Simple psychology.

I doubt Putin will go that far. The point is just to show how fast he can get off the hook if he wants to.

[Black Diamond]

Simple but effective formula: Putin never says another word about the poisoning. A couple of months down the road, he cuts off all support to Syria, Iran and N Korea and it escalates to hostilities. Putin will be the West's new hero. Forgotten will be Crimea and the poisoned Brits. Everyone will be cheering him on to kick Iran's ass.

Look how that played in reverse for Saddam. Or even Stalin. Saddam went from good guy to goat in one move by his choice of opponents. Stalin went from evil oppressor to ally based solely on who his enemy was.

And the World buys it. The same formula works in pro wrestling. Even boxing. Look at Ali. He went from draft-dogging POS because he picked a bigger POS (Foreman) as his opponent. Simple psychology.

I doubt Putin will go that far. The point is just to show how fast he can get off the hook if he wants to.
Much of Europe already liked Putin the last eight years because he exuded strength. Unlike Obama baba.

[High_Plains_Drifter]

Much of Europe already liked Putin the last eight years because he exuded strength. Unlike Obama baba.
And Europe is dependent on the Russian oil teat.

[Gunny]

Much of Europe already liked Putin the last eight years because he exuded strength. Unlike Obama baba.I liked Putin better than Obama. I would probably have voted for Putin over Obama. I mean, that choice is a no-brainer. However, the same bad actors Putin courts liked Obama. I don't think the major European powers are as enthralled, especially after his takeover of Crimea.

[Black Diamond]

I liked Putin better than Obama. I would probably have voted for Putin over Obama. I mean, that choice is a no-brainer. However, the same bad actors Putin courts liked Obama. I don't think the major European powers are as enthralled, especially after his takeover of Crimea.
There's just something about liking strength no matter how evil the person may be.

[Gunny]

There's just something about liking strength no matter how evil the person may be.I don't know about liking strength. Maybe you're right. I like him punking out Obama. I tried to feel bad about it, Obama being OUR President and all, but I didn't :laugh:

[Drummond]

An apology is the same as an admission of guilt so I'm betting no on that one.

Point taken.

I believe that we are now in the process of waking up. We now, finally, understand that Russia is not a power in the world that can be trusted. Oh, in time - IF Russia 'cools it' - things will themselves cool down, and we will 'do business' with Russia once more. HOWEVER -- what we severely lack in the West is a precise understanding of just how different the prevailing psychology is in a society like Russia. They genuinely (.. at the top, anyway, in the Kremlin) DO NOT share our values of decency. Genuinely, they believe 'Might is Right', and everything is subordinate to that in their eyes.

I've a hard time separating that brand of arrogance out from our understanding of the evil of Hitler's own regime, and lust for power. There may be NO difference, at all, when you get down to it.

On terrorism, for example: they'll use our standards to judge the evils of terrorism, but only in terms which benefit them. If they choose, they'll copy that same mentality ... as the near-indiscriminate attacks in Salisbury have just demonstrated.

Add sheer arrogance to an utter contempt for life, and what do you have ? Don't you have the seeds of a terrorist mindset in the making ?

[aboutime]

And Europe is dependent on the Russian oil teat.



True...NOW. But, look at the reality and how it is changing. WE (The U.S.A.) are now capable of providing Cheaper, Better fossil fuels like COAL, OIL, and NATURAL GAS to Europe than Russia....whom, Putin knows, cannot compete with us to maintain his weak economy. We have the upper hand, and Putin knows it.
Putin needs money from Europe to escalate his Military. So, if the U.S. can take away that source of funding. Putin's military dreams are just that.....DREAMS.