The past few months have seen a surge of activities by Russian authorities and forces, reminding one of the sabre – rattling by social l – imperialists at the height of the Cold War. It appears as if the ruling circles of Russia, at the head of a large country, wish to take their “rightful” place in the world arena once again. These activities must however be examined in the context of events which have been taking place after the fall of the USSR. Former allies of Russia and even some of the former constituents of the erstwhile USSR have joined military and economic groupings such as NATO, directed against Russia, leading to a virtual encirclement of that once – powerful country.

Flexing military muscles

In September 2007, Russia tested a giant fuel – air bomb (also known as a thermobaric device), which according to a Russian general, has “no match in the world”. It contained 7.8 tons of ‘highly efficient’ explosives, as effective as 44 tons of regular TNT, and had a blast radius of 300 metres. The blast and pressure wave had similar effects on the ground as a small nuclear device and it is likely that it is presently the world’s biggest non-nuclear bomb.

On 17th August 2007, 14 ‘strategic’ bombers (Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22M varieties) took off simultaneously from airfields across Russia on long-range missions, supported by refuelling (tanker) aircraft and air radars. Such flights by Russian long-range bombers, which can carry strategic nuclear weapons, were very common during the days of the Cold War. In tit – for – tat moves, air forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) used to follow them and keep tabs, while organizing their own long range missions. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the need and indeed the financial ability to continue with these types of strategic flights decreased, and Russia had stopped these flights in 1992. NATO forces and the US however continued flying such missions.

Russian President Putin announced that such flights would henceforth be a permanent affair. He said that although Russia had cut its flights, other military powers had not reciprocated, and that the continuing flights by other countries’ strategic aircraft created problems for ensuring the security of Russia. It is in fact the US and NATO whose strategic bombers have continued to fly long-range missions, so it is clear that the renewed flights by Russian aircraft are being shown to be a response to these. Earlier in August, Russian bomber crews had flown near the Pacific island of Guam, where the US military has a base, and US military aircraft were sent up to track them. In July, two Russian Tu-95 “Bear” bombers made unusually long sorties over the North Sea, and Norway and Britain had sent fighter jets to follow them. A few months ago, Putin had said that Russian missiles would again be aimed at targets in Europe if Washington pursued plans to build a ‘missile defence shield’ in Eastern Europe.

SCO Summit and military exercises

In the middle of August 2007, the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – Russia, China and four Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – conducted a summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. This summit was attended by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Presidents of Mongolia and Turkmenistan, as well as Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, who participated in the summit as observers. India and Pakistan too have applied for membership of the SCO, apart from Iran. Putin said the SCO was becoming a more significant factor in strengthening “security and stability in the Central Asian region”. Around the same time as the SCO summit, joint military exercises with Russia, China and the four Central Asian states took place in the Ural Mountains of Russia.

The SCO summit was conduced at a time when the influence of US in Central Asia appeared to be waning, and NATO forces (of which the US military is a very significant part) are engaged in a long drawn struggle in Afghanistan. The US came under severe criticism during the summit. It was stated that the US plans to build a missile defence shield was based on “invented, projected threats” allegedly posed by Iran. While the main items on the agenda were anti-terrorism, anti-narcotics, the environment and economic development, it is abundantly clear that the SCO is an alliance dominated by Russia and China to increase their influence in the region as against that of US and NATO.

In 2005 the United States was forced to close a military base in Uzbekistan and now Kyrgyzstan is under pressure to end the US lease of an air base outside Bishkek. Russia says it wants to expand its own air base near the capital of Kyrgyzstan. It must be remembered that the region of Central Asia is well – endowed with oil and gas resources, and it is clear that Russia and China wish to demonstrate and ensure that it is very much in their sphere of influence. Joint military exercises have also been conducted from time to time with other powers including India, and though Russia is no longer the largest arms supplier to India, it is still a very significant one.

Undersea North Pole expedition

At the beginning of August 2007, Russia sent a well equipped and publicized mission to the Arctic Ocean, consisting of a nuclear - powered ice breaker and a research vessel. Two mini – submarines undertook the risky mission of diving to the sea bed over 4,000 meters below the polar ice cap. They planted a rust – proof replica of the Russian flag below the North Pole, to signify that Russian territory extends till the Pole. Russian authorities claim that an underwater mountain known as the Lomonosov Ridge is actually an extension of the Russian landmass, permitting it to lay claim to a triangular area right up to the North Pole, giving it rights under the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention. Currently, the North Pole is not regarded as the territory of any one country and the area is administered by the International Seabed Authority based in Kingston, Jamaica. The Russian claim to the North Pole is hotly contested by Denmark, Canada, US and others. The Arctic region is estimated to have as much as one fourth of the world’s undiscovered energy resources, so the claims of Russia to Artic territory, so the intense rivalry between these countries over control of the arctic regions is hardly surprising.

NATO expansion and encirclement

The erstwhile USSR with Russia at its head was undoubtedly a superpower during the cold war period, notwithstanding the fact that its economic and military might was inferior to that of the US. The grip of Russia had been loosening ever since the collapse of the USSR. Countries such as Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania, which were once part of the Warsaw Pact headed by the USSR, were encouraged to join the anti – Warsaw Pact North Atlantic treaty Organisation (NATO). Indeed, even countries once part of the USSR itself, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have joined NATO and the NATO summit of 2006 was held in Riga, the capital of Latvia – the first time that a NATO summit was held in a former constituent of the USSR. Countries such as Ukraine and Georgia (former republics of the USSR), as well as Albania, Croatia and Montenegro are also planning to join NATO. From the Russian point of view, NATO’s eastward expansion since the end of the Cold War has been in clear breach of an agreement between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and the then US President George H. W. Bush which allowed for a peaceful unification of Germany. NATO’s expansion policy is seen as a continuation of a Cold War attempt to surround and isolate Russia.

For several years after the collapse of the erstwhile Soviet Union, Russia itself was in a rather precarious financial condition and the circumstances of many of the other erstwhile Soviet Republics were even worse. Even so, the ruling circles of Russia have not forgotten that they are at the head of a country which has played an important role in world politics as a powerful social – imperialist power and wish to take their ‘rightful place’ once again. Energy resources have played an important role in recent years in improving the financial clout of the Russian ruling circles. It may be recalled, for example, that during the last winter (2005-06), Russia threatened to withhold supplies of gas to Western Europe, nearly sparking off an energy crisis there, in order to assert its dominant position as a supplier of gas. “Energy security” was in fact one of the main themes of the NATO Riga Summit of 2006. The money obtained from petroleum and gas sales has been used to beef up the Russian military apparatus once again. The ruling circles of Russia are also rebuilding the traditional ties they had with the Central Asia republics and China to create an alliance which will serve as a counterweight to US and West European powers in the region.

The coming months are likely to see an intensification of the rivalry between the imperialist groups with US and West European powers on the one side and Russia and China on the other. The contention over sources of energy, raw materials and markets once again confirms the Leninist thesis about imperialism.