Zyuganov, who heads the Communist Party, made the statement during a plenary session of the State Duma as representatives of the chamber's factions spoke on the current situation.
According to Zyuganov, European leaders have "understood" that there is no one left for them to rob "except Russia."
The Communist leader described the economic potential of Russia's adversary as ten times greater and called for restructuring. "To win in a big and long war, one must remember that this is a war of attrition," he said.
Zyuganov urged investment not only in the army but also in science. He said Russia is falling behind in space: 300 Russian satellites are currently flying over the country, against 1,000 Chinese and 11,000 American ones.
According to the Communist Party leader, in 1991 Russia carried out 2.5 times more launches than all other countries combined. "If we give up the sky, we will not accomplish anything else," he said.