People's Democracy

The following statement was issued by Gennady Zyuganov. Chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the chairman of the National Patriotic Union of Russia, following the Russian president Mr Putin’s visit to the US.

DURING his US visit Mr Putin declared an intention to drastically cut Russian Strategic Nuclear Force. It is a striking statement. Two generations of Soviet people made heavy sacrifices to create a nuclear\missile shield. One third of the USSR national income was invested into it. And now Mr Putin with the easiness bordering on irresponsibility is going to eliminate this shield that ensured Russia’s security even after 10 years of destruction of the economy and of the army. The presidential team keeps destroying and not creating. For the last several years not a single major factory or a research complex has been constructed. The Russian army did not get a single combat aircraft and a big naval ship. The programme of "Topol-M" ballistic missile construction has failed, the "Mir" space station destroyed, military bases were closed and new radical reduction of the Army is planned. Now the backbone of our national security - heavy missiles are planned to be destroyed thus making the country virtually indefensible before possible military blackmail.

This decision that affects vital long-range interests of Russia was adopted in the most undemocratic way - without consulting parliament or major political forces, without broad public discussion. Nobody has the right to adopt such decisions single-handedly. Mr Bush’s verbal statement on the US alleged readiness to make equal cuts couldn’t be the pretext for one-sided disarmament of Russia. The US maintains a huge superiority in conventional weapons. America maintains a powerful military-industrial complex and is able to quickly build up its nuclear forces. Mr Putin’s "disarmament plans" directly encourage the USA to create the Anti-Ballistic Missile system that will ultimately destabilize the balance of forces in the world. The fact that these cuts have been announced in Washington and not in Moscow confirms that this decision was adopted in the interests of the comprador capital. But one-sided orientation to the USA is shortsighted. Russia cannot risk its relations with the billion-strong peoples of China, India and of Muslim countries.

In fact we are facing a strategic capitulation of the Russian ruling group before the West. The foreign policy defeats are closely connected with the shameful Land Law and equally shameful laws that open the way for exploitation of Russia’s unique natural and human resources by the Western predominantly American capital. As a result of the "reform" two million homeless children appeared in the streets. AIDs and TB are spreading like bush fire. The country is dying away loosing one million of population annually. But Mr Putin is silent. The country is flooded with drugs. But the president pretends that nothing happens. Chubais’s team is suffocating the economy with mad electricity tariffs. But the Kremlin is closing its eyes.

The General Staff is expressing deep concern over the state of defense. But its views are ignored. There is total plunder of national wealth. But Mr Putin is simply avoiding making decisions on the vital issues. It is impossible to run Russia from the plane constantly flying abroad.

The CPRF and National Patriotic Union of Russia firmly condemn Mr Putin’s decision to cut Strategic Nuclear Forces of Russia because it gravely contradicts our national interests and leads to unilateral disarmament. We declare our intention to struggle against this highly irresponsible approach to Russia’s vital interests.