In addition to writing for Aviation Week Network, Maxim holds a key position at Russia's Air Transport Observer magazine (www.ato.ru). In the past he was in charge of several ATO sister aerospace publications and earlier worked for the Moscow-based CAST defense think-tank.
Maxim has a degree on international relations from MGIMO University, Moscow, Russia, and for several years worked at the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russia's government does not plan to cut its military expenditures, even in the face of economic stagnation. The draft federal budgets for 2014 and for 2015-16, approved in the first reading by the State Duma at the end of October, continue to call for double-digit increases in spending on national defense despite the overall budget deficit planned for these years.
MOSCOW — The Russian armed forces are beginning to enjoy the first benefits of the massive rearmament spelled out under the 10-year defense procurement program adopted in 2010. The air force alone can count on receiving almost a quarter of the program’s budget — or about 4.5 trillion rubles ($136 billion). The program’s implementation was reviewed by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a series of meetings in late November in which military officials and defense manufacturers reported on their achievements and plans.
