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MOSCOW, February 18 (RIA Novosti)
of the General Staff, Nikolai Makarov, does not believe in the competence of Russian weapons. "Mistral-type ships perform three times as many functions as our vessels," the general said on Wednesday. He added Russian manufacturers will be able to manufacture quality assault ships no sooner than five to 10 years" time."I don"t quite understand what Makarov is comparing; our Navy has no helicopter-carrying assault ships of any kind," said Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis. "It would be good if our shipbuilders could make something like a Mistral in 50 years" time, not 10."
The Russian General Staff cannot rely on regular personnel either. According to Gen. Makarov, today"s military academy graduates are not versed in modern warfare, and such specialists do not suit the Defense Ministry. "We have fallen far behind civilian higher professional education," says Nikolai Pankov, Defense Ministry State Secretary.