SOCHI, November 10. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that the nuclear triad remains a key guarantee of military security, making attempts at putting pressure on Russia futile.
"Although the nature of military threats is changing, it is the nuclear triad that remains a key guarantee of Russia’s military security and, if one takes a broader look, of global stability," Putin said in his opening remarks at a meeting with top Defense Ministry officials and heads of federal agencies and enterprises of the defense-industrial complex on Tuesday.
"Preservation of this balance of force reduces to nothing the risk of a large-scale military conflict and in fact makes any attempts at blackmail or pressure against our country senseless," Putin said.
He called for taking into account the emergence of a number of modern and new potentially risky external factors. As an example, he recalled NATO’s growing military presence near Russia’s borders.
Maintaining nuclear potential
Russia will be upgrading and strengthening all the components of its strategic forces and maintaining its nuclear potential at the level of required sufficiency, Vladimir Putin stated. "Considering present-day military and political risks, we will continue modernizing the strategic nuclear forces and consistently strengthening all their components," Putin said. "Russia will keep maintaining its nuclear potential at the required sufficiency level."
The latest missile and airborne systems have been arriving for the Russian Army and Navy in the past few years and the share of advanced weapon systems in the country’s strategic nuclear forces already equals 82%, the Russian president stressed.
In particular, the first regiment armed with Avangard hypersonic missile systems has assumed combat duty in Russia and about a half of missile formations of the country’s Strategic Missile Force have received the latest Yars intercontinental ballistic missile complexes, the Russian leader said.
Also, the tests of the latest Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile are proceeding as scheduled and the advanced Borei-A lead nuclear-powered submarine has entered service with the Russian Navy, Putin said.
"I request that you report in detail today how the defense procurement plans for strengthening the nuclear triad are being fulfilled and whether everything is being done on time," the president addressed the meeting’s participants.
Arms race
Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will not get involved in an exhausting arms race. "We are not going to get involved in an exhausting arms race," the Russian leader said. "We will not do that. There is no need for us to do so."
He stressed that Russia had "the necessary strategic forces for the reliable protection of its interests." He pointed out that some of Russia’s weapon systems were far ahead of those at the disposal of other leading military powers.
"For the first time in history Russia is not in the position of a runner-up. It has come up with certain weapon systems that are years and even decades ahead of foreign counterparts. Some systems are unparalleled in the world and most likely will remain as such for quite a long time," Putin said.