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Articles by Ruslan Pukhov

opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Nothing 'Hybrid' About Russia's War in Ukraine

Russia's actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine over the past year gave rise in the West to a widespread theory about some kind of "hybrid war," an innovative...

Serdyukov Leaves Big Shoes to Fill

Serdyukov accomplished more than anyone had expected of him. But as a ruthless reformer, he became too much of a political liability.
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

What Drives the Kremlin's Syria Policy

Western analysts have suggested that the Kremlin's main motivation for supporting the Syrian regime is a desire to preserve Russia's military base...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

What Drives the Kremlin's Syria Policy

Western analysts have suggested that the Kremlin's main motivation for supporting the Syrian regime is a desire to preserve Russia's military base in the...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Joint Missile Defense Is Limited to Data Sharing

There is a huge amount of mutual mistrust between Russia and the United States on missile defense. Nevertheless, there are still several possibilities...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

The U.S. Obsession With Absolute Security

Moscow believes all U.S. assurances that its missile defense system "will not be aimed against Russia" to be empty. How can they be taken seriously if...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Arms Sales High, But Hard Times Loom

When the official 2011 figures for Russian arms exports were released last month, most analysts and journalists focused, as they usually do, on the...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Quality Over Quantity

In his recent article on national defense published in the Feb. 20 issue of Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin once again confirmed...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Medvedev's Missile Threats Are His 'Plan B'

On Nov. 23, President Dmitry Medvedev — who, by the way, is still president — announced the measures with which Russia would respond if the United...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Serdyukov's Reforms 3 Years On

The third anniversary of the radical military reforms that Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov first announced to the top brass on Oct. 14, 2008, passed...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

The Real Cost of Modernizing the Military

Throughout the summer, a serious conflict broke out between military manufacturers and the Defense Ministry over the fulfilment of weapons contracts...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

The Military's Achilles Heel

Russia's aircraft industry suffered two significant setbacks at the MAKS air show held outside Moscow from Aug. 16-21. First, the MiG-29 0VT had to abort...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Defending the Defense Industry

The political shoving match that Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and defense contractors have been playing for the last two years erupted into a...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Why Missile Defense Talks Will Fail

At a news conference on May 18, President Dmitry Medvedev once again made the claim that the elements of a U.S. missile defense system to be deployed...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Mistral Ship Agreement Is Losing Steam

Apart from the ongoing battle between Russia's top brass and defense industry, the top military story has been the developing crisis over the planned...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Army Needs a New Beginning

Both the Defense Ministry and the military contractors must find a new model and modus operandi, but that will be possible only when the government...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

Serdyukov 4 Years On

Last month marked four years since the once little-known Anatoly Serdyukov was unexpectedly named defense minister. At the time, most observers assumed...
opinion Ruslan Pukhov

The West Will Help Us

After 50 years of Russia’s military-industrial complex striving for complete self-sufficiency and dictating its own interests to the army, Defense Minister...