Rasmussen criticized Russia's ballistic missile deployment program

17.06.2011 NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called Russia's ballistic missile deployment program "waste of money" which indicates Moscow's "out-dated thinking", reports The Daily Telegraph.

Appearing in London, Rasmussen stated that NATO was no longer a threat to Russia and Moscow's invitation to cooperate in missile defense just had supported that assertion. NATO offers Russia to establish two independent data-interfaced missile defense systems.

Russia's ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said Moscow was not about to take Rasmussen's words into account, since objectives and format of arms development programs are the matters of Russia's sovereignty. "We will defend ourselves wherever we consider it is necessary", reports Interfax citing Rogozin.

At present, Russia develops and tests several types of ballistic missiles. Among them is submarine-based Bulava which has attracted public attention due to numerous faulty launches.

Russian Defense Ministry plans to double ballistic missile production since 2013. Reportedly, it is planned to appropriate RUR 15 bln for batch production of Bulava, Yars, and Iskander-M ICBMs till 2020. It is also known that by 2013 defense ministry plans to complete works on a new liquid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile which is to replace all analogs currently in-service.