Military scope to broaden

President Dmitry Medvedev has introduced a new law to parliament that would broaden the scope of Russian military intervention abroad, a signal that could further strain relationships with its neighbors. The current law allows the armed forces to take action outside Russian territory only in response to aggression that is directed toward the country and poses a threat to Russiaґs territorial integrity. The revised law reads: "to return or prevent aggression against another state, to protect citizens of the Russian Federation abroad, to fight piracy and to ensure the safety of the shipping industry," according to the Kremlin website.

"It is tied to the well-known events of last year," Medvedev told the Interfax news agency. The announcement has been timed to coincide with the one year anniversary of the conflict with Georgia, along with the appointment of the new Head of Military Training of the Armed Forces, Valery Yevnevich.

Some may be forgiven for thinking that these moves are meant as a warning to Russiaґs neighbors. Anatoly Tsiganok, head of the Center for Military Prognosis of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis, said "This law is only being introduced in order to be able to bring the military to fighting mode if Russian peacekeepers are attacked by Georgia in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, without the say of Parliament."

The revision is likely to upset the international community. "When the bill was introduced by Dmitry Medvedev, I immediately got worried calls from colleagues in Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine," Tsiganok said.

Opinion is generally divided between those who, like Tsiganok, believe that the law cannot be justified, and those who think such powers may be justified in certain circumstances. State Duma Deputy and Deputy Chairman of the Security Committee Gennady Gudkov said the law could be necessary to give the president a certain power of protection against the threats of foreign military attacks and terrorism. "The question of how we will act on the law is a question of future political situations and the relationship we have with our neighbors and other countries," he said.

Another debate surrounding the Law on Defense is that of the presidentґs role. Many are concerned about the increasing power of the president without consulting Parliament. "When you talk about a law that would allow Russians to fight abroad, I do not think it acceptable that this right is given solely to the president. I believe the decision to use force abroad should be made only by Parliament," Tsiganok said.

There are also problems with the Russian constitution, which is vague on the procedures for responding to acts of aggression against the country. It does not seem to be clear who would be authorized to make decisions, the Parliament or the president.

Georgia and Ukraine are particularly worried about Russiaґs intentions, and this news will certainly increase their apprehension.

Mounting tension in the Caucasus was further intensified recently when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, while on a trip to Abkhazia, announced plans to spend around $500 million on military bases and a border guard system in the region.

Meanwhile, Russiaґs problematic relationship with Ukraine was further jeopardized by Medvedev in an address to the Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko. In his video blog, Medvedev criticized Ukrainian authorities for taking "an openly anti-Russian position in relation to the military attack on South Ossetia by Saakashviliґs regime."

Medvedev repeated the accusation that weapons used to kill innocent civilians and Russian peacekeepers were Ukrainian, and said that there would not be a Russian ambassador in Kiev until the relationship between the two countries improved.

VIDEO: Medvedev Proposes Changes To Defense Laws

Comments:

Ante:
America would never allow a photos similar to this one.

The soldiers are bent, one is without a cup and all look unfed, shame on you. Look at photos from Georgia, they look like from Hollywood. A photos from Russia of Russian army looks like from North Korea in BBC which are used to demonise the country.
10-10-2009

Ambricourt:
With a U.S.-led war raging in Afghanistan and Pakistan, U.S.warships patrolling the Black Sea, NATO exercises off the North Russian coast, subversive activities by a variety of foreign agencies in the Caucasus, continuing measures to subordinate Russia's economy to that of Europe, and long-term strategies to destroy Russia as a Pacific power, RUSSIA HAS THE RIGHT to broaden the scope of its military intervention.

After Gorbachov's and Yeltsin's disastrous decisions that annihilated the country's administrative cohesion, Russia is now in a defensive position and under immediate threat. Taunting the Russian bear by military and economic actions has become more open than in Soviet times, and threatens Russian sovereignty.

As for the power of the President to control the army - surely that is a minor issue. And doesn't the example of the United States provide a model? There the President is Commander-in-Chief of the armed services - and American democracy enthusiastically accepts this one-man authority!

It is more important for Russia to concentrate on new structures of command and styles of training in all its armed forces.

A fully professional military is preferable to one containing large numbers of conscripts.

Respect for the "simple soldier", and the potential of HIS initiative, must be increased: Ivan - well-trained and proud of his specialist skills - becomes more important, not less, in electronic warfare.

Future victories will depend on covert platoons, with skilled, empowered Ivans, more than on open-field battalions commanded by high-ranking, slow-thinking officers.

To protect Russia's sovereignty not only constitutional reforms are needed but also the profoundest modifications of entrenched Russian values.
09-30-2009


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