"Russia plans to acquire eight ballistic-missile submarines as part of a $730 billion armaments upgrade plan extending through 2020, Voice of America reported on Wednesday (see GSN, April 21).

The procurements declared by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, which are also expected to include 600 flight assets and S-400 and S-500 air defenses, would boost Moscow's military holdings of up-to-date armaments to 70 percent of the total stockpile by the end of the effort.

Russia's highest priority is to upgrade its strategic nuclear deterrent, but it must also make changes to other weapons and equipment, defense expert Pavel Felgenhauer said. "Then there's of course the air force, the air defense system, the army -- actually, everything needs rearming because right now they say that (only) 10-15 percent of our weaponry is modern," he said."