MOSCOW, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Russia will purchase four new nuclear-capable inter-continental ballistic missiles next year as part of its plans to maintain the nuclear balance with the United States, its defence minister said on Friday.
"We will purchase as many as is necessary to maintain genuine nuclear parity -- not parity as we had in the Cold War but taking into account the security interests of the state," Interfax news agency quoted Sergei Ivanov as saying.
He said the four new rockets would be ground-based and would play their part in Russia's overall nuclear defences that also include sea- and air-delivered nuclear systems.
President Vladimir Putin sees as a priority a modernisation of Russia's armed forces, aimed at turning the neglected and ineffective monster, inherited from the Soviet Union, into a compact and sophisticated battle force.
Upgrading Russia's nuclear arsenal, most of which is about to serve out its term, is one of the key tasks set by Putin.
Russia's military budget has considerably grown since Putin came to power in 2000. More than 470 billion roubles ($16 billion) are allocated for defence in a draft budget currently under consideration by parliament.
Top Russian military say increased spending allows them to place orders for new arms and military hardware unprecedented in post-Soviet Russia.
General Alexei Moskovsky, deputy defence minister in charge of arms procurement, told Interfax news agency earlier this month that the planned 2005 purchases included 300 items, including new Topol-M intercontinental missiles, one TU-160 strategic bomber, several fighter jets and military helicopters.
===== Nu, zayats, pogodi!
_______________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Declare Yourself - Register online to vote today! http://vote.yahoo.com