There aren’t enough hours in the day . . . quick takes on some stories of interest.
Rossiyskaya gazeta . . . Minregion again sternly warns of problems in heating military towns due to Defense Ministry debts . . . the Far East is the most serious case.
Nezavisimaya gazeta . . . Ukrainian Defense Ministry may not be able to cooperate on An-70 transport for financial reasons.
Argumenty nedeli . . . long expose on the death of Russian military medicine, and the consequences, as a result of Serdyukov’s cuts and reforms.
ITAR-TASS . . . the interdepartmental commission met at Sevmash today with Vladimir Popovkin leading a review of Yuriy Dolgorukiy’s readiness to test fire the Bulava.
ITAR-TASS . . . on Tuesday, Chelyabinsk’s governor called on Serdyukov to stop explosions at Chebarkul. This mini-scandal’s been evolving since they started in early October. Expired munitions are being destroyed, but locals are complaining of damage from tremors. Serdyukov was supposed to go to Chelyabinsk, but sent logistics deputy Bulgakov in his place. Bulgakov supervised an elaborate demonstration to show that the explosions aren’t powerful enough to shake Chelyabinsk. Residents say they can feel them in the city’s high-rise buildings. The military doesn’t get much credit for trying to get rid of old bombs like those that nearly leveled one of Ulyanovsk’s rayons last November. See Novyy region or Moskovskiy komsomolets.
There is growing media attention to the military housing problem — will Medvedev, Putin, and the Defense Ministry keep their promise to solve the permanent housing problem by the end of 2010, or are they just changing the rules and extending their own deadline? See IA Rosbalt, Svpressa.ru, or Nezavisimaya gazeta.
Russian Defense Policy 