A retired Russian admiral says the nation's Navy will dramatically weaken after 2015 because many Soviet-built warships are scheduled to be mothballed.
Retired Adm. Vyacheslav Popov said in remarks carried by RIA-Novosti Friday that the decommissioning of most of the Navy's big warships will deprive the country of the chance to deploy its ships to distant oceans.
Popov said after 2015, the Navy will only be capable of acting close to Russian shores. He added that the government has failed to allocate money to build new warships despite an increase in the military budget.
Popov is a former commander of the Northern Fleet. He now is a member of the upper house in the parliament.
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