Fleet of Russian warships reportedly en route to Syria to head off a Western attack

www.timesofisrael.com...

A flotilla of five Russian warships laden with hundreds of troops, which is headed toward Syria, is a show of force meant to deter Western armies from intervening in the war-torn nation, the London-based Sunday Times reported.

Interesting developments as the west/NATO and Russia take sides in this conflict, which also indirectly involves Iran, and has much broader potential implications for the region, and especially for Israel.

NATO’s recent deployment of Patriot anti-missile batteries in Turkey has raised concerns in Moscow about its ability to maintain a strategic foothold in the country, the report said, .

There has also been increasing indication that Israel and the US are mulling a military move in Syria to secure the country’s sizable stockpile of chemical weapons, which decision-makers fear could be turned against Israel, as well as on Syrian rebels, should Assad come to the conclusion that his days are numbered.

Wouldn't we all be better off if there was NO outside involvement in the Syrian "civil war"?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

It's about time someone puts an end to the US invading every country that isn't owned by Goldman Sachs.

If the West and NATO in particular were to become involved in the Syrian civil war they would do it with the sanction of the UN, as was the case in Libya.

Russia sending a handful of warships to the area may be more about their contingency to evacuate Russian civilians and personnel from an increasingly anarchic situation, rather than a deterrent to NATO. You see, if NATO was to move in they would do so via Turkey, as that would be more logistically simple.

If push came to shove, there is sod-all a handful of Russian warships could do in the Mediterranean – a NATO controlled sea. However, push will not come to shove and war-mongers will be confounded, yet again.

Regards

to head off a Western attack..........with hundreds of troops?




Come now....

Originally posted by cybro
It's about time someone puts an end to the US invading every country that isn't owned by Goldman Sachs.

Maybe the more appropriate words here and now would be "it's just a matter of time"?

In time the meaning of that will become very clear....

That said, the US hasn't invaded Syria, and so far hasn't made any overt moves or threats to do that, or even to directly intervene, unless Chemical weapons are used by the Assad regime.

The Russians have strategic interests in Syria that are far more important to them than either the Assad regime, or the rebels. IF Assad falls their interests must be protected, and they will do that regardless of any US and NATO moves.

Still, a dangerous situation, especially when you add to the complexity with both Iran and Israel.

5 ships and a few hundred troops....hardly a major fleet....they're probably just there to protect russian interests just the same as every nation does and if a few hundred russian soldiers can hold off an attack from the combined western world then theres no real chance and its time to learn russian eh comrades?

Originally posted by sonnny1
to head off a Western attack..........with hundreds of troops?

Come now....

Yeah, laughable, except when you consider the possible uses, it could be a measured response to the deployment of US and NATO forces in Turkey: www.haaretz.com...

In particular, they could be additional personal security for the Assad regime.

The British newspaper on Sunday quoted an Israeli source....

And that's where I stopped reading. When will the Israeli gov't get it that we can see through their BS in the digital age?

reply to post by ausername


I don't buy it one bit.

Sorry.



The Russian Bear will remain sleeping.

reply to post by intrepid


The Russians didn't deny the moves, and explained them this way:

In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said the ships were preparing for a large naval maneuver whose aim was to “improve the management, maintenance and testing of the interaction of naval forces.”

Originally posted by sonnny1
The Russian Bear will remain sleeping.

Don't underestimate them, and you are right, their involvement in support of Assad will be minimal and proportional to that of NATO and the USA, so for the most part the bear will sleep, with one eye open.

i found this today ...

With a buildup of 16 Russian warships carrying thousands of marines on the Syrian coast “to deter the West from deploying ground forces in Syria,” Syrian Bashar Assad could afford to brazen it out in his first public speech in seven months. Speaking at the Damascus opera house, Sunday, Jan. 6, Assad said Syria no longer takes dictation from anyone and called on Syrian citizens to defend the country against “a war fought by only a handful of Syrians and many foreigners.”

www.debka.com...

reply to post by tinhattribunal


DEBKA........



Sorry, but another "unreliable" source........

I dunno...

Assad gives a sad semi-desperate sounding speech recently. The rebels/terrorists are gaining ground and now Russia sends a small fleet.

I get the feeling the Russians are on their way to retrieve people, equipment and maybe Assad and Family when Assad's house of cards crumbles...

reply to post by SLAYER69


I could buy that, but thwarting an attack is another tall tale.........

Originally posted by SLAYER69
I get the feeling the Russians are on their way to retrieve people, equipment and maybe Assad and Family when Assad's house of cards crumbles...

Good call because it doesn't make sense otherwise. It's not logistically sustainable.

www.worldatlas.com...

NATO nation to the north. US ally to the south and they are #'s 1 and 2 militarily in the area.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
I dunno...

Assad gives a sad semi-desperate sounding speech recently. The rebels/terrorists are gaining ground and now Russia sends a small fleet.

Which is more likely, a quiet Assad regime exit, or one where he and his regime unleashes vengeance upon their enemies? (If the Assad regime does fall)

Depending on which happens, where would that leave the Russians, Syria's #1 ally in the region Iran, and of course NATO/USA and Israel?

reply to post by ausername

and on that note, i'd guess they are headed to Jordan.
i'm surprised so many of you don't realize this already.
here's a few sources
link 1
link 2 (see addl stories in the margin of the page)
link 3
link 4
link 5

reply to post by ausername


Not this again? Seriously 'heading off to head off a Western attack' and utilising NATO assets to get there for replenishment? Some of you guys need to put conspiracy to bed

Some of the Baltic and Northern Fleet warships and assets have just completed a port visit to Spain (NATO country). Spanish enclave in North Africa, Ceuta. For example Destroyer Severomorsk.

www.seawaves.com...

Prior to this some elements of the Black Sea Fleet preparing for the exercise completed a port visit in Greece. Yet another NATO country.

Destroyer Smetlivy and Cruiser Moskva that are taking part in the Mediterranean exercise visiting Greece in the run up to the festive period. They left after Christmas.






On the 5th January I picked up the Russian Navy Tanker, Lena from the Baltic Fleet sending a Morse Code international weather report from the vicinity of Ceuta, Spain.

8345 Kilohertz

RKO81 05181 99359 70053 22213 @1809Z

Positional info stripped out from the weather report

35.9N 5.3W Heading North East at 11-15 Knots

Map Link - Russian Navy Tanker Lena off Ceuta, Spain

As of 6th January, 18 GMT the Russian Navy Tanker Lena in support of the Northern and Baltic Fleet assets is at the following position.

8345 Kilohertz

RCV DE RKO81 06181 99366 70009 22213 @1800Z

36.6N 0.9W Heading North East at 11-15 Knots

Map Link

After the exercise elements of the Northern Fleet will head for anti-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa.

MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - A naval task force from Russia’s Northern Fleet left the Severomorsk base on Wednesday and set course for the Horn of Africa on a new anti-piracy mission, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. It includes the large antisubmarine ship Severomorsk, the salvage tug Altai, and the tanker Dubna, as well as a contingent of naval infantry subunits. The force will travel the length of the Mediterranean, pass through the Suez Canal and relieve the Pacific Fleet task force that has been there on an anti-piracy mission since November. Meanwhile a Baltic Fleet task force set sail on Tuesday for the eastern Mediterranean where it will relieve a group of Black Sea warships. The force includes the frigate Yaroslav Mudry, the large landing ships Kaliningrad and Alexander Shabalin, the salvage tug SB-921 and the tanker Lena. The new anti-piracy mission is expected to reach the region by mid-January. Russia keeps a naval task force in the Gulf of Aden as part of the international effort to fight piracy off the Somali coast. Russian warships have successfully escorted hundreds of commercial vessels from various countries through Somali coastal waters since 2008, when Russia joined the international anti-piracy mission in the region. A recent study estimated the cost of piracy to the world economy from disruption to international trade at between $7 billion and $12 billion. In February 2011 the United Nations launched an action plan to combat piracy off the Somali coast, calling for greater support from national navies to fight a “global menace” that threatens not only international trade but the world body’s delivery of vital food aid to millions of hungry people. According to latest UN reports, pirates carried out 291 attacks and hijackings in the first 10 months of 2012, taking at least 293 hostages.

Source Link

reply to post by tommyjo


Of course, it's all just an elaborate exercise, and it would be unwise to question anything other than official statements from the Russians regarding the movement of assets and troops etc.

Case closed, we're done here.

At least, I wish that to be true.

It's all good now people, just propaganda and false alarms... Move along now, nothing to see here.


For now.