Jay

Russia to build naval base in Syria
Vladimir Radyuhin

Move will increase Moscow's influence

MOSCOW: Russia is planning to set up a naval base in Syria in a move that will dramatically increase Moscow's presence in West Asia and shift the balance of forces in the region.

Russia has started dredging the Syrian port of Tartus, where the Russian Navy has had a maintenance station since Soviet times, Economic Counsellor at the Russian embassy in Syria Vladimir Zimin, was quoted as saying by Russia's leading business daily, Kommersant.

The paper said Russia was also widening the port of Latakia, where a new berth for the Russian Navy will be built.

A Russian Defence Ministry source told the Kommersant that a full-fledged naval base in Tartus will be used to redeploy some of the warships from Sevastopol, a naval base Russia

leased from Ukraine after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Ukraine, keen to join NATO, said the Russian fleet will have to leave Sevastopol after the lease expires in 2017.

According to the Defence Ministry source, Moscow was planning to establish a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea, forming a squadron of warships led by the missile

cruiser Moskva that will, among other things, "take part in naval anti-terrorist exercises with NATO members."

The Russian paper quoted its source as saying, "the facilities in Syria would allow Russia to expand its influence in the Middle East and to guarantee Syria's security." To protect the base, Russia plans to set up an air defence system consisting of S-300PMU-2 Favorit ballistic missiles, the Kommersant said. The missiles will to be operated by Russian personnel, but will also provide cover for a large part of Syria.

Russia has also agreed to beef up Syria's war muscle by supplying medium-range air-defence missiles, Pechora-2A, and upgrading Syria's fleet of T-72 tanks, the paper said.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/05/stor...0504281600.htm

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HistoricalDavid

I've been corrupted by M21Sniper. When I ever see SAMs mentioned, I think of his posts.

TopHatter

Um, yeah....I'm pretty sure that those batteries will not be under local control by the Syrians. Who even knows when they'd get weapon's release?
Before or after the target's are postively ID'ed? And will it matter who does the ID'ing?

platinum786

that's interesting, the Russians are playing the same imperialistic game you are...but this time not as communists....how does it feel?

I'm eagerly awaiting the Chinese to start the same game, especially by setting up a naval base in Gwadar.

This is the begining of the end of the white man bullying the world.

percentage_plyr

mm....most russians are as white as they get.

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ALL RIGHT RESERVED, ALL WRONG AVENGED.

......and on the 8th day,God said,"OK,Murphy,now you take over!"

-{SpoonmaN}-

And since when was Russia/The USSR not bullying the world as much, if not more than the USA and Europe? And what the hell do you call Japan conquering half of Asia?

HistoricalDavid

I wonder how this S-300 would do against a Wild Weasel.

Or Russian destroyers against the USN or USAF.

And I remember you had the tenacity to accuse ME of being a racist?

Regardless, explain to me how yet another Russian SAM system, and more of the floating maintenance disasters they call ships, is going to change anything.

(As if it's better to be bullied and oppressed by the Chinese and the Russians than the 'white man'.)

platinum786

The Russians are whiote yeah I know that, but they aren't bullies anymore in the sense they do not try to push thier way of life onto other people unlike america and Britian where our governments persist on taking "democracy" to the world, wether it be by hook or crook.

HistoricalDavid

Democracy - more correctly, liberal, constitutional democracy - gives a chance for people to decide their own way of life, actually. The way the Anglo-Americans do it is to attempt to defeat or remove those who force their ways upon someone else, whether it be Hitler, Tojo and his cru, the North Koreans, Israel's attackers, the North Vietnamese, Saddam Hussein, twice, the Somalian warlord in Aidid, etc.

If you're thinking of mentioning the support of authoritarian or totalitarian states by America under the Kirkpatrick doctrine or for oil, it's unfortunately justified as the lesser of two evils.

The Russians, if they do interfere, never help that process. For example, the Ukraine and Belarus. And if I need to mention history, do I need to mention the entirety of Eastern Europe? Or, in fact, Russia's own population? It's not as if Russia has fully thrown off the political nasties of communism, nor even close to it, especially compared to the people it oppressed in Eastern Europe.

One side does the right thing a bit of the time, the other never does the right thing at all.

Jay

Alright, if you want to get bullied by the Chinese, be my guest. Looks like one way or other youve been bullied by other powers.

gunnut

By "white" he means Americans.

By "bully" he means dragging despots kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

By "end" he means continuing.

Everything else is right on the spot.

highsea

Lol. You've got us all figured out, Plat. We'll never be satisfied until everyone in the world is living under the merciless jackboot of self-determination.

Sheesh...

Anyway...the Russians are denying the story lock, stock, and barrell.

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bull

Russians!!! Huh..

who is going to finance this move..the US or a long term loan from NATO.

Plat,who told u russians dont bully.They are the worst rasicts.I literally threatened to resign if i wasnt transferred back from moscow.They are the worst.
Prostitues,Neo nazis.ultra nationalists....all are there.
And they literally threaten to kill u to bring glory to russia.
Thye have shot dead two friends of mine studying in st peters burg,and stabbed one of them.

It looks like pakistanis have lost hope in their nation that they have to look for China each and every time.U people might not even hesistate in acceding to China,right???

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What's the difference between people who pray in church and those who pray in casinos?
The ones in the casinos are serious.

Moroz

Until russophobia is fashionable we have to be nationalists and patriotic.
Do you suppose is it good that French are tolerance to African emigrants which are lezy to work, but enthusiastic to burn cars.

There are no such stuff in the Europe? It’s freedom to express opinion. Until they did any harm ore crime they are innocent. But skinheads (you call it neo-nazists it’s not quite correct) are idiots. Every paratroopers day (VDV Day) they are hide itself afraid to be beaten.

bull

When i called russians rasict,i didnt mean to give a clean chit to others or not to.

So do u mean to say that the ultras attack foreigners bcoz they are lazy to work.