President Medvedev also announces expanded ties with Venezuela, including a billion-dollar military loan.
MOSCOW - Russia continued its international muscle-flexing on Friday, strengthening its ties to Venezuela through a $1 billion military loan and a new oil consortium as it announced an upgrade of its own military focusing on nuclear deterrence and combat readiness.
Russia must modernise its armed forces and upgrade its nuclear deterrent, in part by building a new air and space defence network, the president said.
President Dmitry Medvedev also announced plans to begin large-scale production of warships, primarily nuclear-powered submarines armed with cruise missiles.
Medvedev said the need for the modernisation was demonstrated by last month's military conflict with Georgia. Russia responded to Georgia's attack on the breakaway region of South Ossetia with overwhelming force and easily crushed the Georgian army, but the brief war highlighted Russia's ageing arsenal.
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