In a leaked diplomatic cable written last year from the US embassy in Moscow, defense ties between the two countries are described as useful but hampered by a "lack of Russian transparency and reciprocity."

The Russian government's defense ministry "has not changed its modus operandi for information exchange nor routine dialoguing since the end of the Cold War," said the cable, one of hundreds of thousands secret documents published by the WikiLeaks website this week.

The cable said "Russian delegations routinely refuse to share their briefing materials with us, even when presented with formal requests for these materials."

Russian defense ministry representatives "are closely monitored by their Military Intelligence (GRU) handlers, and are loathe to engage in any dialogues outside of tightly controlled statements recited from prepared texts," it said.

Although the US military often invites Russian defense delegations to visit various bases, American representatives are "rarely" granted visits beyond conference centers at Russia's defense ministry, it said.

Gaining access to Russian defense-related academic institutions was "particularly problematic," the cable said.

While the United States offered information last year to Russia about US training efforts in Georgia, Moscow provided no information about exercises in Belarus and Kazakhstan that featured about 12,000 Russian troops, it said.

The document was among a flood of secret US files released in recent days by WikiLeaks that have included harsh assessments of Russia's government.

One cable from February of this year had Defense Secretary Robert Gates observing that "Russian democracy has disappeared." Others have US diplomats referring to Russia as a "virtual mafia state" and saying that President Dmitry Medvedev plays "Robin" to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's "Batman."

Putin has fired back, saying Gates was "deeply misled" in his assessment and warning US officials not to "interfere" in Russia's internal politics.

earlier related report
US cables reveal bribe fears in Thai Bout arms case
Bangkok (AFP) Dec 2, 2010 - Russian associates of alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout tried to block his extradition to America by bribing a key witness in the case, US diplomats warned in secret cables released Thursday.

Two documents published on the WikiLeaks website detailed US frustrations during its attempts to gain custody of the former Russian military officer, who was arrested in Bangkok in March 2008 accused of terrorism.

A cable sent in August 2009, soon after a Thai court refused the US extradition request, said there had been "significant indications that the Russians were trying to use bribes to influence the outcome of the case".

This had prompted ambassador Eric John to gain assurances from the Thai prime minister earlier in the year to ensure the case was "free of inappropriate influence".

A previous message, dated February last year, said the ambassador had told Abhisit of "growing concern" about the case.

He laid out "evidence showing that the extradition proceedings against Bout have become tainted as a result of the efforts by Bout's associates to bribe Thai officials", it added.

The ambassador detailed "false testimony" from an official -- whose name has been redacted -- who claimed Bout had been in Thailand to conduct "official business with the Thai government relating to a submarine project".

The US Embassy in Bangkok believed that if the witness statement had not been proven false, the extradition could have been denied based on an "erroneous conclusion" that Thailand had official dealings with Bout.

Other attempts to derail the process included a scheme to "arrest and thereby embarrass" two US diplomats -- both assigned to the investigation -- on allegations that they took illegal recordings of Bout on the day of his arrest.

Bout, 43, a whose story inspired the 2005 Nicolas Cage film "Lord of War", was finally extradited to New York in November to face terrorism charges in a case that has strained US-Russian ties.

In a career spanning two decades, the burly Russian allegedly stoked violence from Sierra Leone to Afghanistan by bartering deals for planes and guns.

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