HEAT IS ON: Russia Sends More Warships to Syria and a Warning the United States

Things are really heating up in Syria as Russia has reportedly sent more warships carrying marines to Syria’s Mediterranean port of Tartus, where Moscow has a naval base. Citing military sources, Russian media reported on Sunday that the Novocherkassk landing ship left the port of Novorossiisk in the Black Sea and is due to arrive at Tartus in the early days of January. And two other warships, the Azov and Nikolai Filchenkov, have also reportedly been dispatched to Syria from Russian naval bases since Friday. We are still marching on the path to another big war.

But more actions are being taken by the Russians as reports now say that Moscow is preparing a plan to evacuate Russian nationals living and working in Syria in case the situation in the country worsens. Two weeks ago, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that a fleet of Russian warships had been sent from the Baltic port of Baltiysk to the Mediterranean Sea near the Syrian waters.

 

It said the flotilla includes the frigate Yaroslav Mudry, the landing ships Kaliningrad and Alexander Shabalin, as well as two other vessels. There are other reports stating that even more ships are sent to Syria. Among them the Novocherkassk which is to arrive at Tartus within the first 10 days of January.

The Novocherkassk and another landing ship called Saratov both made a rare port call to Tartus in late November. A bit strang is that officials did not disclose any more details of that visit. The Tartus base is Russia’s only remaining naval station outside the former Soviet Union and is seen as a major strategic asset for Moscow. Russia has been accused of using the base to supply Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with secret military shipments supplementing the official weapons sales that Moscow has made to Damascus since Soviet times. But recent rebel gains prompted Russia to admit for the first time this month that Assad’s days in power may be numbered.

Officials have since openly acknowledged making preparations for a possible evacuation should the safety of Russians in Syria be threatened by Assad’s downfall. The three landing ships will be joining what Russian reports said was a much broader exercise off the coast of Syria involving vessels from three naval fleets. Well how convenient to have that exercise now! just outside port of Tartus!

I really fear that this is going the wrong way. Russia has been building up a formidable force at sea. And no doubt that the Russian navy today is much to powerful for anyone to challenge without huge loss.

Russian Huge Exercise a Subtle Warning to the United States

At the same time as all of this happens in Syria. The Great Putin also prepares the Russian Navy for Biggest Exercise Since the Soviet Union. The Russian navy is about to stage its largest war exercise in a long time possibly the largest since before the breakup of the Soviet Union. It’s a chance for President Vladimir Putin to show off his military might, of course. But the exercise may also be a subtle warning to the United States: Stay clear of waters that traditionally lie in Russia’s sphere of influence.

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