We are marching for new gimmicks!

Telegraph: Vladimir Putin rearms his Cold War military

Tsar Putin’s strong man rhetoric is a necessity of Russia tough internal politics. Showing strength and determination is important for a country that has lost it’s strength and social integrity.

So Putin’s plan to massively update the Russian armed forces makes perfect sense: since the fall of the Soviet Union the formerly huge Army, Navy and Airforce is in total disarray. Many ships, tanks, atomic subs and airplanes are no more than scrap metal and often a health hazards for soldiers and civilians alike. In the darkest days after the fall of the Soviet empire soldiers went for months without pay - the troops moral and integrity totally wrecked.

From the Telegraph article.

Russia desperately needs modernization and a moral boost. So the oil money from the recent years is used to buy new military hardware, upgrade the infrastructure and show strength - internally and externally.

I need new legs!

Compared to the US budget the Russian military spending is a joke. Plus the US has military bases all around Russia. Many former satellite states - which have been like buffer zones - have broken away. Many of them are now in bed with America and some are even host to US military bases. So no surprise the Russians feel the extra need to boost their own military power.

More? Wikipedia for Russian Armed Forces