Valdai Club

John Mearsheimer

Igor Matveev

Igor Makarov

Tara McCormack

Andy Mok

Alexei Malashenko

Yevgeny Minchenko

Zhang Ming

Sergey Mironenko

Konstantin Makienko

Russian Federation

(1969-2021)
Deputy Director of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), member of the expert council under the Russian State Duma defense committee.

Materials

Russian-Vietnamese Military-Technical Cooperation

Russian-Vietnamese military-technical cooperation hinges on traditional longtime military ties between both countries and is implemented in conditions of mutually complementary foreign-policy and military-political interests between Vietnam and Russia.

UK Airstrikes in Syria Irrelevant Militarily, but Create ‘Political Symbolism’

British public opinion on the nation’s military involvement in another Middle East conflict is split, like the parliament itself.

The Time Factor: Possible Avenues of the Conflict in Ukraine

The self-defense forces in Donbass likely do not have the capability to win. Kiev will simply outlast the republic’s fighters. Ukraine still has many mobilization resources. The most important thing for self-defense fighters is not to win the war but rather not to lose it.

Russian Military Complex: Results of 2013 and Expectations for 2014

Russia has been the runner-up on the global arms market for three years now. Soviet and Russian weapons are referred to in the West as “simple and deadly.” It is comfortable to serve on German submarines, but Soviet and Russian submarines are better for fighting. But this is changing. Russia’s current demographic trends will compel it to follow the Western road, investing in higher technology and producing fewer arms.

Russia's Position on the Global Arms Market

The current contract portfolio of Russian arms exporters is worth about $46 billion. Annual exports total $15 billion, and this will ensure uninterrupted deliveries for the next three years, even in the worst-case scenario. The list of the main buyers of Russian weapons is unlikely to change drastically.

Russian-Indian Military Cooperation

In 2011, Russia’s total military exports exceeded $12 billion. India accounted for one third of this figure. On average, India buys between 27% and 35% of Russia’s total military exports depending on the year.

The Russian Air Force: Pride Without Prejudice

In two to three years, the Russian Air Force will be able to effectively perform its tasks in any hypothetical conflict – from the defense of the Kuril Islands to supporting counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus to deterring NATO.

Report: Military Reform: Toward the New Look of the Russian Army

The analytical report “Military Reform: Toward the New Look of the Russian Army” summarizes the results of the conference of the Valdai Discussion Club Defense and Security section titled “Modernization of Russia’s Armed Forces and Cooperation in International Security” which was held on May 25-27, 2011 in Moscow.

SuperJet-100 Crash in Indonesia: Possible Repercussions

The crash of the latest Russian commercial aircraft, the SSJ-100, in Indonesia has triggered vigorous discussion about the future of the Russian aviation industry. Views about the future of this particular project vary widely, with forecasts ranging from the complete failure of the program to zero negative effect of the Jakarta tragedy on the future of the Superjet-100 project.

The Russian Aircraft Industry: Present State and Prospects

In the next ten years, Russia will continue to specialize in military planes. The fundamental reason for this is clear. The Soviet Union invested the heaviest in the defense industry for two or three generations, and the success of Russian companies on the global market in the post-Soviet era is the result of that Soviet investment.