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Russia sending advanced air defense systems to Kazakhstan | Reuters

Russia is delivering S-300 advanced air defense systems to Kazakhstan, state-run RIA news agency reported Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov as saying on a trip to Astana.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to increase Russia's influence over former Soviet Union countries with a series of political, trade and security initiatives that aim to tighten cooperation among the states.

This move attempts to boost the capabilities of a post-Soviet security bloc, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), which combines Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.

Global arms sales fall, Russia sales rise sharply in 2012 | Reuters

Russian firms increased weapons sales sharply in 2012 helped largely by a Kremlin armaments program, while global sales of arms and military services by private companies fell for a second straight year, data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showed on Friday.