“Russia has revealed details of its ambitious plan to upgrade its army over the next ten years, planning to spend US$ 650 billion.
 First and foremost, Russian defense will focus on the development of strategic nuclear weapons, construction of over 100 military vessels for Russian Navy, including construction of four originally French-made Mistral-class amphibious assault ships, and the introduction into the Air Force of over 1,000 helicopters and 600 military planes, including fifth generation PAK-FA fighter.
Most of the military hardware will be equipped with next-generation weaponry.
 For the first time ever, Russia is planning to buy military equipment from NATO-member countries – two Mistral helicopter carriers will be bought in France (with two more licensed to be built in Russia), as well as samples of armored vehicles from Italy and elements of personal combat systems also from France.
 Moscow’s plans to modernize Russian strategic nuclear forces do not contravene the newly-signed New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the US, which aims at the reduction of up to a third of the strategic nuclear weapons in both Russia and the US”.

 Russia Today – February 25^th, 2011.

If the renewal is a success, it will leave Russia less reliant on the nuclear arsenal it inherited from the USSR. “Russia needs a professional non-commissioned officer corps to train specialists who can really put these arms to effective use,” Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent military analyst, told AP. “This spending necessitates a whole new kind of military.”

On the same topic:

Article 1. Associated Press —-Article 2. Ria Novosti July 2010.