Beijing, Russian helicopter maker Rostvertol has partnered with a Chinese firm to set up a plant in northern China, authorities said. The plant will be capable of manufacturing 100 lightweight civil Mi-2A helicopters annually, the government and the company reported Monday. Construction of the plant, located near Beijing in Hebei Province, will be completed by the end of July, officials said, adding that the plant will also serve as a repair hub for Russia's Mi-series choppers in the Asian region, reported Xinhua. The investment for the first phase of the plant, spread across 47 hectares, was estimated at 1.4 billion yuan ($224 million), Rostvertol's Chinese partner Hebei Xi'Ao Aeroplane Manufacturing Co. Ltd. said on its ...
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Moscow, The Russian government has announced awards of USD 130,000 to Russian athletes who win a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. The government announced Friday that silver medalists would receive USD 82,000, while bronze winners would get USD 56,000. The incentives are similar to those offered during the Vancouver Games in 2010, where Russia, a traditional winter sports powerhouse, delivered its most miserly medal haul in Olympic history, finishing 11th in the final standings with three gold, five silver and seven bronze. ...
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Moscow, The Russian Air Force is testing and will soon deploy an advanced tactical air-to-air missile that will greatly enhance its operational effectiveness, its commander Col. Gen Alexander Zelin said Tuesday. The missile will be carried by MiG-31 BM Foxhound supersonic interceptors/fighters and will subsequently be used by other warplanes, he said. The weapon is “currently in trial at an Air Force test site", Zelin said. He did not identify the missile but experts believe it could be the K-37M, a long-range air-to-air missile developed specifically for the MiG-31BM interceptor. It also known as RVV-BD, or AA-X-13 Arrow as it is known to NATO. ...
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Moscow, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin confirmed to switch posts with outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev if voters supported the pro-Kremlin United Russia party and Putin's candidacy in upcoming elections. "I would like to once again stress that if the voters trust us with forming the government, that is they vote for United Russia and me as the Russian president, Dmitry Anatolyevich would undoubtedly head the government," Putin said at a meeting with voters Thursday. He said that Russia must pursue modernisation in all areas, "end its dependence on oil and gas and perform a transition to the innovative development model". Medvedev, in his turn, said that he and Putin would continue their frequent trips across Russia if elected to the ...
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Moscow, Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has called on Russian voters to vote and reject the pro-Putin ruling United Russia party in Russia’s parliamentary elections, saying it will not be fair. "Russian voters should exercise their right to vote, as I will, and reject the United Russia party led by Mr Putin," Mr Gorbachev said during his visit to Germany, reported by RIA Novosti. The State Duma (lower house) elections are slated for December 4. Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin today addressed the lawmakers during their last session before the December 4 Parliamentary elections. The goal of the address was to thank the lawmakers for their fruitful work and State Duma’s constructive cooperation with the Cabinet during the past four years, especially in the difficult period of economic crisis, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists here. In line with constitutional amendments introduced in Russia in 2008, the next State Duma will be elected for a period of five years instead of four years. The Russian Parliament’s lower house has 450 seats. "The Russian parliamentary opposition must be active, but in a way that does ...
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Moscow, People who call for violence on the internet should be brought to justice, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said. Medvedev said Monday at a meeting with regional media that there cannot be any freedom "when calls to go and kill somebody are spilling from the internet and social networks". He said legal responsibility on the internet was a very complicated issue. "To establish legal responsibility for comments on the internet and social networks would mean to destroy the internet itself," he said. Russian Communication Minister Igor Shchegolev has said that internet censorship was "absolutely meaningless" since "the model of the internet is designed in a way that information inside it remains unsinkable and ...
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Moscow, The Russian Navy is planning to receive up to 10 diesel-electric submarines by 2020, a navy spokesperson said. "The Russian Navy expects to receive 8-10 diesel submarines by 2020," the official said Monday. The new submarines will strengthen primarily Russia's Baltic and Back Sea fleets, he added. Russia's Admiralteiskie Verfi shipyard Monday launched the construction of a Project 636.3 modernized Kilo-class submarine. The Project 636 vessels, crewed by 52 submariners, have an underwater speed of 20 knots, a cruising range of 400 miles with the ability to patrol for 45 days. They are armed with 18 torpedoes and eight surface-to-air missiles. The spokesperson said the improved Kilo class submarines will feature advanced "stealth" technology, extended combat range and ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets. The Russian Navy currently has about 20 diesel-electric submarines deployed to protect Russia's territorial ...
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