Putin: Russia Developing New Kind of Nuclear Missile

 

By Bill Gasperini

Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country is developing a new type of nuclear missile. Mr. Putin spoke¹ at an annual meeting of the armed forces' senior leadership. 

President Putin says research is underway on developing new nuclear missiles as part of the effort to improve Russia's armed forces.

Speaking at a meeting of senior military leaders, Mr. Putin said international terrorism is one of the major threats facing Russia.

But he added the country cannot ignore nuclear threats and the need to develop new missiles.

President Putin said the new systems will be unlike any that other nuclear powers have. He said they will be deployed² 'in the future,' but did not say when. The Russian leader did not provide any further details. 

But Defense³ Minister Sergei Ivanov said recently that Russia plans to test-fire a new version of its light-weight ballistic Topol-M missile soon. The Topols have a range of about 6000 miles and reportedly can be maneuvered⁴ to avoid detection.

Russia is also reported to be developing another heavy nuclear missile.

President Putin has repeatedly promised to build up Russia's military power, which went into decline after the collapse⁵ of the Soviet⁶ Union due to financial problems.

Defense Analyst⁷ Ivan Safranchuk at the Center for Defense Information in Moscow says while terrorism has long driven Russian defense policy, now Mr. Putin is responding to those who are concerned about nuclear threats.

"The nuclear lobby here in Russia found its way to the president's ear," he noted⁸. "Then he had to introduce the suggestions of the nuclear lobby in some way."

Mr. Safranchuk says he does not think Mr. Putin was sending any direct warning to other countries, especially the United States.

But the speech does come just a few days before Mr. Putin is due to meet with President Bush at the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Chile.

Bill Gasperini, VOA news, Moscow.
注释：
nuclear missile 核导弹
armed forces 陆海空三军
test-fire 试射
ballistic 弹道的
maneuvered 机动的
collapse 瓦解
Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation 亚太经合组织
Chile 智利

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 maneuvered   

v.移动，用策略( maneuver的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵

参考例句：

• I maneuvered my way among the tables to the back corner of the place. 我在那些桌子间穿行，来到那地方后面的角落。 来自辞典例句
• The admiral maneuvered his ships in the battle plan. 舰队司令按作战计划进行舰队演习。 来自辞典例句

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

6 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。