Voice of America News reports: “Under Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russia has found common ground with Washington – on shipping war supplies to Afghanistan, halting the sale of anti-aircraft missiles to Iran and joining the World Trade Organization.

With Prime Minister Vladimir Putin leading all polls prior to the presidential vote, though, the question of how Russia’s foreign policy would change under his return to the presidency is coming into focus.

In a 7,500-word foreign policy essay the prime minister is promising a Russia with sharper elbows that vigorously pushes back against the West and forces it to take Moscow’s views into account.

Writing that ‘Russia is only treated with respect when it is strong and stands firm on its own two feet,’ he says ‘the only way to ensure global security is by doing it together with Russia, not by trying to ‘demote’ it, weaken it geopolitically, or undermine its defensive potential.’…” (President Dmitry wanted a cooperative spirit with America and the West. Vladimir Putin wants to stand up against the U.S.A. and its Western partners. Could his position lead to World War III called Armageddon and Putin become the ‘Gog’ of ‘Magog’ that leads Russia in the war of the “Latter years and latter days?” Ezekiel 38:1, 2, 8, 16; 39:1, 2, 12, 13; Joel 3:2, 20, and 30. See the next two reports.)

BBC News reports: “Vladimir Putin has been elected Russian president for the third time, exit polls suggest, after spending the last four years as the country’s PM.

The exit polls gave Mr. Putin about 60% of the vote, meaning that he should avoid a run-off with his nearest rival, Communist Gennady Zyuganov.

Officials say turnout was higher than for the last election in 2008.

But opposition groups have reported widespread fraud, with many people voting more than once.

They have called for mass protests in central Moscow…

Meanwhile tens of thousands of supporters of Mr. Putin have gathered with Russian flags and banners outside the Kremlin for a concert to celebrate his victory.

Slogans on the banner included ‘Putin – our president’ and ‘We believe in Putin’, but there were indications that some participants had been ordered to attend…”

BBC News reports: “A monitoring group set up by protesters in Russia has refused to recognise the results of the presidential election which returned Vladimir Putin to power.

The League of Voters said the poll had been marred by widespread ballot-rigging and was an insult to civic society in Russia.

Mr Putin, it added, won 53%, not 63.6% as reported officially. Such a result would have still brought him victory.

A senior election official said the League was not in a position to judge.

Mr Putin was re-elected for six years having served two previous terms as president between 2000 and 2008.

His victory has been recognised by foreign states but the Russian authorities stand accused by international observers of having skewed the election in his favour…” (What has happened to the non-proliferation treaty, limiting nukes by Russia and America? While President Obama talks about downsizing atomic weaponry from 1,800 to 300, Russia continues creating armaments of warfare around the clock – Revelation 8:7; 9:18. See the next two reports.)

BBC News reports: “Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has backed the modernisation of his country’s military, less than a fortnight before the presidential vote.

‘We must not tempt anyone with our weakness,’ he wrote in a newspaper…

In his article published by state newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta, he said Russia was planning to spend 23tn rubles (£487bn; $772bn) over the next decade on 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles and more than 600 warplanes as well as nuclear submarines and S-400 missile defence systems.

Mr Putin said Russia would never give away its potential of strategic deterrence and had to look ahead to the next 30-50 years. Moscow would provide an ‘effective and asymmetrical’ response to NATO’s planned missile defence shield in Europe, he said…”

SpaceDaily.com reports: “Russia’s armed forces will receive over 400 modern intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), more than 100 military spacecraft and over 2,300 new tanks within the next 10 years, Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin said.

Earlier media voiced fears that by 2020, Russia’ ICBM arsenal could reduce by more than half as over 400 missiles would go beyond their maximum service life without timely replacement.

‘Within the next decade, the armed forces will receive more than 400 modern ground- and sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, eight ballistic missile submarines, about 20 general purpose attack submarines, over 50 surface ships and some 100 military-purpose spacecraft,’ Putin wrote in a new article for the Rossiiskaya Gazeta government daily.

He said the number will also include ‘over 600 modern aircraft, including fifth-generation fighters, more than a thousand helicopters, 28 regimental sets of S-400 (SA-21 Growler) surface-to-air missile systems, 38 division sets of Vityaz air defense systems, 10 brigade sets of Iskander-M (SS-26 Stone) tactical missile systems, more than 2,300 modern tanks, some 2,000 self-propelled artillery systems and guns, as well as more than 17,000 military vehicles’…”

RIA Novosti reports: “Russia would use nuclear weapons in response to any imminent threat to its national security, Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen. Nikolai Makarov said.

‘We are certainly not planning to fight against the whole of NATO,’ Makarov said in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio, ‘but if there is a threat to the integrity of the Russian Federation, we have the right to use nuclear weapons, and we will.’

The general said Russia’s nuclear deterrent is the cornerstone of strategic stability and serious efforts are being taken by the Russian government to modernize the country’s nuclear triad.

The Russian Defense ministry is planning to acquire at least 10 Borey class strategic nuclear submarines, thoroughly modernize its fleet of Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers, and equip its Strategic Missile Forces with formidable Yars mobile ballistic missile systems.

Makarov also stressed the importance of maintaining highly-efficient, mobile conventional forces…” (The New York Times reported that Obama had entered into a secret contract with Russia. It agreed that America would not put missile bases in Poland and the Czech Republic if Russia kept Iran under control. America kept its promise while Russia continues to prepare for war and has established a base in Kaliningrad and is negotiating with Chavez to erect another in Venezuela; almost in America’s back yard. See the next report – II Timothy 3:1; Luke 21:25, 26.)