It's been 15 years since a torpedo exploded aboard the Kursk, sinking the Russian submarine, killing all 118 sailors aboard and wounding the navy's reputation and the nation's pride. A tragic metaphor for government neglect of once-powerful armed forces, the disaster spurred ambitious plans for military expansion and modernization in the air and on the ground and high seas, which came to fruition a decade later when high oil and gas prices filled Moscow's coffers. But the Russian navy's generous share of Project 2020 military modernization funds — $156 billion for the shipbuilding and base-construction plans were designated in 2010 — is imperiled by a financial crisis brought on...
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