Weapons

• 13 August 2004, Russia starts planning an increase in military expenditures [1]
• 17 November 2004, not only money but also new nuclear technologies are planned [2]
• 29 November 2004, from words to facts: firstly the core anti-ballistic defences is modernized [3]
• 06 December 2004, after defence comes offence: bombers are equipped with long-range cruise missiles [4]
• 31 January 2006, and a missile capable of penetrating any defence shield is claimed to have been developed [5]
• 5 December 2006, so, after one year of preparation the new upgrade is official: the Topol-M nuclear missiles are ready to penetrate multi-layer anti-missile defence systems [6]
• 29 May 2007, nevertheless, the improvement was not finished yet: new intercontinental ballistic missiles are tested [7]
• 9 August 2007, well, if you have an arsenal, why not using it? The Tupolevs are back: first they fly toward the US Pacific island of Guam [8]
and then, 6 September 2007, they start enjoying the North Atlantic current while being intercepted by Norwegian F16 and British F3 forcing them to go back [9]
• 11 August 2007, in the meantime a new round of promises starts [10]
• 12 September 2007, and since in Russia words are always kept: the biggest non-nuclear device in the world is tested [11]

Diplomacy

When you have a gun you can do basically four things: putting it down, threatening to use it, actually using it, selling it.

• Threatening to use the gun
• 4 June 2007, for example, why not targeting European cities as a response to the increasing tensions with the US because of their planned new anti-missile defence system in East Europe? [12]
• Using the gun
• 1 November 2006 - 27 July 2007, the Litvinenko affair [13]
• Selling the gun
• 6 September 2007, Russia repaid its debts so now can give loans to others, and they will use these loans for buying Russian weapons [14]
• Putting the gun down: Gas Diplomacy
• Ukraine
• 13 December 2005, Russian Gazprom threats Ukraine of cutting off gas supplies if they will not pay market rates for them [15] (let’s remember that one year before it happened what has been called the Orange Revolution led by Viktor Yushchenko)
• 1 January 2006, as I said before Russia always keeps its word: Gazprom cuts the supplies, some European countries are hit by this, Gazprom accuses Ukraine of stealing the gas paid by other European Countries [16]
• 4 January 2006, Ukraine and Gazprom reach a deal [17]
• 10 January 2006, the Ukrainian Parliament sacks the Government of Yuri Yekhanurov because of the deal, which they consider to much favourable to Gazprom, this will bring to new Parliamentary elections in few months [18]
(let’s remember that four months before The ‘Orange President’ Yushchenko had already sacked the ‘Orange Prime Minister’ Yulia Tymoshenko)
• 26 March 2006, Ukraine pro-Russian bloc wins the new Parliamentary elections, Viktor Yanukovych who lost the place of Ukraine President after the Orange Revolution is back as Prime Minister [19]
• 1 April 2007, Yushchenko tries to sack Yanukovych and his Government, Yanukovych does not move, both sides (Orange/pro-West and Blue/pro-Russia) organize street manifestations [20]
• 27 May 2007, a new election ballot is planned for September [21]
• 2 October 2007, both sides claim the victory of the new ballot [22]
• 3 October 2007, Gazprom again threatens of cutting Ukraine gas supplies [23]
• 8 October 2007, Ukraine and Gazprom reach a deal [24]
• 16 October 2007, the two leaders of the Orange side Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko get an agreement for setting a Government coalition [25]
• Belarus
• 1 August 2007, Gazprom wants to cut gas supplies also to Belarus [26]
but they reach some kind of appeasement (
• 3 August 2007) [27]
• 11 October 2007, Belarus plans to build a nuclear plant in order not to rely to much on Russian gas [28]
• 14 October 2007 well, something is moving in Belarus, where a rare pro-EU manifestation is allowed for the first time in the history by the regime [29]
• France
• 17 September 2007, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner raises the spectrum of a war against Iran if they do not renounce to their nuclear program [30]
• 10 October 2007 -
• 11 October 2007, French President Sarkozy goes to Moscow for diplomatic talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sarkozy says there are convergences between Russian and France policies about Iran and Kosovo, then he asks Putin to open Gazprom to foreign (French) investors [31], [32], [33]
• 16 October 2007, Russian President Putin backs Iranian nuclear program (is this the convergence Sarkozy was talking about?) [34]
• Germany
• 15 October 2007, German newspapers ask weather there actually is a possibility for a strategic partnership between Germany and Russia, while waiting for the meeting between the German Chancellor Angela Merkel with the Russian President Vladimir Putin on next Monday (i guess they will talk about gas too) [35]
• USA
• I have already talked about the missile mess in East Europe, let’s end this long survey with the last Russian hit towards US: the Russian President asked the US to set a date for their withdrawal from Iraq [36]
.

The bear has no more fear.