Russia to send ships, planes to Venezuela

[Shipwreck]

Russia to base nuclear warship and anti-submarine aircraft in Venezuela

Russia plans temporarily to base a nuclear-powered missile cruiser and anti-submarine aircraft in Venezuela, foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said Monday. (UPDATED)

Hot News Turkey
Monday, September 08, 2008, 22:17

"Before the end of the year, as part of a long-distance expedition, we plan a visit to Venezuela by a Russian navy flotilla... and the temporary basing of anti-submarine aircraft of the Russian Navy at an airport in Venezuela," spokesman Andrei Nesterenko was quoted by Reuters as saying.

The Venezuelan navy announced Saturday that four Russian ships with almost 1,000 sailors aboard would carry out joint manoeuvres with the navy of Caracas leftist government in Venezuelan territorial waters on November 10-14.

The four ships will include the Peter the Great nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser and the Admiral Chabanenko anti-submarine ship, Nesterenko told a briefing in Moscow.

The visit has been planned for a long time and "is not in any way connected to the current situation in the Caucasus," said Nesterenko, referring to tensions over Russia’s incursion into U.S. ally Georgia in August.

"It is not aimed at any third country," he said.

Medvedev accused the United States of rearming Georgia under the guise of humanitarian aid, after Friday’s arrival of the U.S. Navy's Mediterranean flagship at a key Georgian port close to where Russian troops are patrolling.

"I wonder how they would like it if we sent humanitarian assistance using our navy to countries of the Caribbean that have suffered from the recent hurricanes," Medvedev said.

HIGH VISIBILITY

The 'Peter the Great' is large and heavily armed with both surface-to-surface and around 500 surface-to-air missiles, Jon Rosamund, the editor of Jane's Navy International, a specialist publication told Reuters.

"On paper it's an immensely powerful ship," he said. "We are not really sure if this is a show of force or if it poses a viable operational capability at this stage," Rosamund said.

"These ships have far more capability, on paper, than the U.S. destroyers that went to the Black Sea, but it's difficult to compare capacity," Rosamund said. "The Russian navy is keen to be seen on the world stage."

Admiral Eduard Baltin, former commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, said the Caribbean manoeuvres meant "Russia is returning to the stage in its power and international relations which it, regrettably, lost at the end of last century".

"No one loves the weak," Baltin was quoted as saying by Russia's Interfax news agency.

Leftist-populist President Hugo Chavez, a harsh critic of the U.S. government, has forged closer ties with Moscow including arms supply and production deals.

Chavez has supported Moscow in the Georgia conflict, and stressed that "Russia is rising up again as a global power."

Russia’s defense ministry in July denied a report it was considering basing bomber aircraft in Cuba in retaliation for U.S. missile defense plans in Eastern Europe.

"We regard these sorts of reports from anonymous sources as disinformation," RIA Novosti quoted defense ministry spokesman Ilshat Baichurin as saying.

[Shamus]

"Rattle,rattle.....rattle,rattle.....Whoops,pa rdon me....was that my saber?"says Medvedev;).

[ace16807]

Gee... What does this sound like a repeat of...

[S2]

What A Maroon!

"I wonder how they would like it if we sent humanitarian assistance using our navy to countries of the Caribbean that have suffered from the recent hurricanes,"

Applause? Be nice to do something good for a change. Nobody a greater advocate of free rights of maritime passage than us.

He's a fool. Meanwhile, let's admire the motley crew that are orbiting on Russia. Do I have this list correct- Serbia, Belorussia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba?

That's a lovely collection. Sure I'm forgetting a "stan" or two out with the CARs.

[zraver]

"I wonder how they would like it if we sent humanitarian assistance using our navy to countries of the Caribbean that have suffered from the recent hurricanes,"

Applause? Be nice to do something good for a change. Nobody a greater advocate of free rights of maritime passage than us.

He's a fool. Meanwhile, let's admire the motley crew that are orbiting on Russia. Do I have this list correct- Serbia, Belorussia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba?

That's a lovely collection. Sure I'm forgetting a "stan" or two out with the CARs.

Venezuela

[TopHatter]

Potentially a very big PR boost for Russia and the Russian Navy

Or

A disaster-in-the-making, given the general condition of the Russian Navy and their scant recent experience at long-distance deployments.

Let's just hope that sucker doesn't pull a Chernobyl while it's on this side of the pond.

[Skywatcher]

Potentially a very big PR boost for Russia and the Russian Navy

Or

A disaster-in-the-making, given the general condition of the Russian Navy and their scant recent experience at long-distance deployments.

Let's just hope that sucker doesn't pull a Chernobyl while it's on this side of the pond.

It didn't blow up during the Yeltsin years, so we should be out of the woods on the other hand. But then there's the example of the Kursk.

I wouldn't be surprised if they ran aground somewhere though. The Caribbean waters can be quite hazardous in some areas.

[TopHatter]

It didn't blow up during the Yeltsin years, so we should be out of the woods on the other hand.

She's also 8+ years older since Yeltsin left office in 2000.

And what about her crew? You don't just up and decide to sail to across the Atlantic with a ship of that size and complexity without a crew that has, at the very least, been drilled hard and well, beforehand.

But then there's the example of the Kursk.

You're right, the reactor doesn't have to melt down for the Pyotr Velikiy to blow sky-high: Her ordnance is perfectly capable of doing the same thing.

I dunno...if they pull this one off without incident, I'll be fairly surprised.

[S2]

Zraver Reply

Got it in there.;)

[Gun Grape]

hey, I remember that ship back in 2004

USATODAY.com - Russian Navy chief flip flops on nuke ship claim

MOSCOW (AP) — Three hours after saying one of Russia's most powerful ships was in disrepair and could "explode" at any moment, navy chief Adm. Vladimir Kuroyedov on Tuesday retracted the comment, saying the nuclear-powered Peter the Great missile cruiser was safe and in no danger.


Kuroyedov said Russian news agencies misunderstood his initial statement, but others attributed the flap to infighting among navy brass.

Kuroyedov's suggestion that the Peter the Great was unfit for service could have stemmed from his personal feud with the uncle of the ship's captain, or from his role in the sinking of a decommissioned nuclear submarine last year — a disaster that deeply embarrassed the navy, the business newspaper Kommersant said.

Kuroyedov gave his comments to Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies in a smoking room on his way to a meeting of top military officials.

First, he said the massive cruiser had been badly maintained.

"Everything is all right on the ship where admirals walk, but in the areas where they don't, everything is in such condition that it may blow up at any moment," Kuroyedov was quoted as saying.

"It's especially dangerous because it has a nuclear reactor," he added, giving no details on the ship's condition but suggesting the reactor was the problem.

Then, he said he had ordered the captain to fix flaws in the ship's maintenance within two weeks — a length of time that seemed to contradict the urgency of initial, alarmist statement.

Three hours later, he took it all back.

"There is no threat whatsoever to the ship's nuclear safety," he said in a statement. "The ship's nuclear safety is fully guaranteed in line with existing norms."

Some flaws in maintaining the cruiser's living quarters would be fixed within three weeks, he said, after which the ship would become fully combat-ready.

In its report, Kommersant noted that Kuroyedov's has a personal conflict with Retired Adm. Igor Kasatonov, uncle of the cruiser's captain, Rear Adm. Vladimir Kasatonov.

It also said Kuroyedov could have aimed his jab at the Northern Fleet's ex-chief, Adm. Gennady Suchkov, who was relieved of his duties temporarily pending investigations into the sinking of the decommissioned nuclear submarine in August.

Kuroyedov had tried to shift blame for the disaster to Suchkov, but Kasatonov had testified in court that the navy chief bore the main responsibility. Nine of 10 crewmen aboard the K-159 sub died when it sank in a howling storm on its way to a scrapyard.

Russian media also have criticized Kuroyedov over his role in the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine in 2000 and his failure to improve the navy's degrading condition. Many expected President Vladimir Putin to fire Kuroyedov, but he has managed to cling to the job.

In the latest blow to Russian military prestige, the navy failed to perform missile launches from nuclear submarines during last month's ambitious maneuvers — personally overseen by Putin.

Kuroyedov, who watched the maneuvers from the Peter the Great, claimed that the first of two scheduled launches had never been planned despite numerous announcements to the contrary. The statement was widely ridiculed by Russian media.

On Tuesday, he said the second failed launch of a RSM-54 missile was due to its age.

"The missile was manufactured in 1987 and had a designated lifetime of 7 1/2 years," Kuroyedov said, adding that the navy now considers its RSM-54 missiles only 95% reliable.

The post-Soviet funding squeeze has badly hurt the navy, prompting it to mothball a large number of ships and keep most others docked for years because of shortages of fuel and spare parts.

Hope they fixed her.:))

[xrough]

Russia to send ships, planes to Venezuela

Russia to send ships, planes to Venezuela


CARACAS, Venezuela - Russia's plan to deploy ships and warplanes to the Caribbean for joint military exercises with Venezuela is allowing President Hugo Chavez to capitalize on tensions between Moscow and the U.S. and showcase a growing military alliance.

Russia announced on Monday that it will send a naval squadron and long-range patrol planes for the exercises later this year — a move that appeared retaliatory after the U.S. sent warships to deliver aid to Georgia following its conflict with Russia.

The deployment is expected to be the largest Russian naval maneuvers in the Caribbean — and perhaps the Western Hemisphere — since the Cold War.

Chavez considers the U.S. a defense threat, and his welcoming of the Russian navy contrasted with his sharp criticism of the recent reactivation of the U.S. Navy's Fourth Fleet for the Caribbean and Latin America. He ridiculed possible U.S. concerns about the Russian deployment on Sunday, saying: "Go ahead and squeal, Yankees."

"This is vintage Chavez. He rarely misses an opportunity to needle and provoke Washington," said Michael Shifter, an analyst at the Washington-based think tank Inter-American Dialogue. "He is taking advantage of the growing chill in U.S.-Russia relations, especially over the situation in Georgia, to poke his finger in (President) Bush's eye. There is nothing he relishes more."

Chavez says the U.S. Fourth Fleet — which was dissolved after World War II — poses a threat to the region. U.S. officials say the fleet will help maintain security while performing humanitarian missions and counter-drug operations.

Anna Gilmour, an analyst at Jane's Intelligence Review, said she believes the exercises will be primarily for the benefit of Venezuela, which has been drawing closer to Russia and buying weapons from Kalashnikov assault rifles to Sukhoi fighter jets. She said the maneuvers also appear to be a response to the relaunch of the U.S. Fourth Fleet.

"By allowing Russian vessels to dock at Venezuelan ports, Chavez is sending the message that the U.S. is not the only major power active in the Caribbean," Gilmour said.

The U.S. government, however, appeared unconcerned.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack poked fun at Russia's navy, saying if Russia really intends to send ships to the Caribbean, "then they found a few ships that can make it that far."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko insisted that Russia's decision to send a naval squadron and planes to Venezuela was made before Russia's war with Georgia and is unrelated to the conflict.

But last week, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would mount an unspecified response to recent U.S. aid shipments to Georgia using Navy vessels on the Black Sea.

Shifter said it's clear Russia in "unhappy about the U.S.'s increasing presence in the Black Sea" and "as part of its resurgent nationalism, Russia wants to flex its muscles and remind Washington that it too has important alliances in the U.S. backyard."

[TopHatter]

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack poked fun at Russia's navy, saying if Russia really intends to send ships to the Caribbean, "then they found a few ships that can make it that far."

Priceless. Absolutely priceless. :))

But last week, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would mount an unspecified response to recent U.S. aid shipments to Georgia using Navy vessels on the Black Sea.

Good! You can start by sending a few your rust heaps to Haiti and help the US Navy conduct relief operations after Hurricane Ike.

[kuku]

I think same situation was there when the Russian navy had to take the old aircraft carrier (cruiser?) on a big naval exercise some time back.
I think they are ready for trouble (tugs and all).

These things might become common occurrence now.

[Ray]

Becomes a threat in being!

[S2]

Threats

"Becomes a threat in being!"

I think more of a danger to themselves and others...

Seriously, they need to stop talking and start showing their flag somewhere besides on their tanks inside foreign nations.