Russia to build six nuclear aircraft carriers

Russian Admiral Vladimir Masorin recently said his fleet would get six new nuclear powered aircraft carriers in the next 20 years, in a path breaking increase and modernisation of the country's maritime power. While three carrier groups would be assigned to the Pacific fleet, the remainder would serve with the northern fleet in European waters.

Masorin also said Russia should establish a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean, to protect its strategic interests in the area. He had earlier announced Russia was building new bases in its Far East territory for surface ships and missile-armed submarines.

While there is the factor of the Russian parliamentary elections this December and the presidential elections in March 2008 behind the sabre rattling, Russia's plans for a stronger navy seem serious.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 18 August that the Russian air force would resume regular, long-range patrols by nuclear-capable bombers over the world's oceans, including the Pacific, after a 15-year span.

Russia's oil and gas exports are now fetching record prices, and financing the country's military modernisation, along with arms sales to China, India and other big buyers. The ongoing US-Russian impasse over a proposed missile shield in Eastern Europe seems to be behind Russia's announcing these major hikes in its military budget.

The widening gulf between the two nations comes as Russia seeks to parlay its hydrocarbon wealth into an expanded role on the world stage and recently made claims to Arctic which may contain huge resources of natural gas.