Yet, look to history and the activities of any successful "invader" or conqueror of any land, and it will be seen that high among their priorities was to re-shape and then dominate the environment. Not least, was the propensity of the invaders to establish castles on dominant ground, in defensible positions, with clear areas around them to deprive the enemy of cover, and then to build a network of roads connecting them.

General Nikolai Makarov, the chief of the general staff, told reporters during a state visit to Mongolia that Moscow wanted to buy a 21,300-ton Mistral-class helicopter carrier and might jointly build several more with France.

The ship can be used to launch amphibious assaults or as a mobile command-and-control center. It would be Russia's biggest one-off purchase of weapons abroad.

"Mistral is an expedition ship for colonial countries," said Konstantin Makiyenko from Centre for Strategy and Technology Analysis think tank. "This is a ship which Russia does not need and which will rob resources from other more us...