The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Welcome. I am glad you don't agree with 'every' view, it would be strange if you did. I'm looking forward to your participation in our discussions. I am glad this discussion board has begun attracting serious individuals as of late.

I recently joined this forum and this is my first post here. I chose this particular thread because it is the one that attracted me here.I am also a believer that the well-being of our Armenian nation is closely linked to Russia's. History shows us that whenever Russia was doing well (politicaly/financialy/socialy), Armenia prospered in general. And whenever Russia was doing poorly...we were usualy in trouble. I agree with most (but not all) of the views expressed by the long term members here and look forward to add my contributions in the future. I am a diaspora Armenian (born somewhere in the Middle East). The nature of my work takes me to many parts of the world. I have been in Armenia many times and plan to visit again before the end of this year. I congratulate you all for such an informative and knowledgable forum.

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

I think I know how this video was found. I have a feeling this video was abandoned by the "yahoo" yelling criminals when they ran away like pathetic cowards at the first sight of Russians...

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Video shows Georgian troops shooting at civilians

Shooting civilian homes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXmHJpwhLPI

RT has obtained a video which shows Georgian troops firing on civilian buildings in the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinval. The mobile phone footage was apparently recorded by a Georgian soldier as he operated a machine gun. His cry of 'Yoo hoo!' as he fired on the building reminded some viewers of 'a child playing a video game' - but they were real bullets and real human targets. An investigation into crimes allegedly committed by Georgian troops is currently underway and the exact number of casualties has yet to be established. Accurate estimates of the death toll have been hampered by the chaos that took over the city during the fighting. Many rushed to bury their friends and relatives in their own gardens, school playgrounds and on hospital grounds. They felt it was too dangerous to venture onto the city streets.

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29914

Report claims U.S. military trained Georgian special forces

Seasoned Georgian Commandos tickling their American instructor after their defeat in South Ossetia

The U.S. military provided combat training to Georgian commandos just months before Georgia attacked South Ossetia, according to an investigation by the Financial Times newspaper. It reports that a 15-man team of American special forces veterans spent 70 days training Georgia's elite troops outside the capital Tbilisi. The Financial Times obtained a recruitment email sent by a Pentagon contractor, MPRI, and a U.S. European Command spokesman confirmed the existence of the training programme when questioned about the email. The trainers were paid US$2000 per week plus expenses to train the Georgian troops. A U.S. army spokesman said that the training was provided to bring Georgian soldiers up to NATO standards so they could assist in military operations in Afghanistan. While U.S. "train and equip" operations are often highly publicised, the military has remained tight-lipped about the Georgian programme. "We can confirm the programme exists, but ... we do not discuss specifics to ensure the integrity of the programme," a U.S. European Command spokesman told the Financial Times. A second 70-day training phase was due to begin on August 11, four days after the Georgian attack on its breakaway republic of South Ossetia. The trainers had already arrived in Georgia when hostilities began and were staying in Tbilisi. The confirmation that the United States trained Georgia's special forces troops adds extra weight to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's suggestion that American citizens were directly involved in the South Ossetian conflict. Putin said in an interview with CNN in August: “We have serious reasons to believe that American citizens were right at the heart of the military action. This would have implications for American domestic policy. If this is confirmed, we will have grounds to suspect that somebody in the U.S. has created this conflict to aggravate the situation and create a competitive advantage for one of the presidential candidates”. On the same day that Putin made the statement the Russian Defence Ministry announced that a passport belonging to a Texan resident was found in a house which had been occupied by Georgian commandos.

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/30065

Additional videos from Russia Today:

Georgians confess to spying in Russia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wg_MO69CBQ

How we bombed Tskhinval - Georgian soldier: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWkLmZ9c5l8

[North Pole]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29914

Report claims U.S. military trained Georgian special forces

america shall burn in Hell.

Fannie Mae Natinalized





Paulson readies the 'bazooka'

Big buyers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debt have been shying away. The Treasury secretary wants to coax them back.

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- It took two months, but the bond market called Henry Paulson's bluff. Now the Treasury Secretary is expected Sunday to announce a plan to take Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under government control.

The mortgage giants are expected to be placed under a "conservatorship" of their new regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The agency would likely temporarily run Fannie and Freddie and continue to implicitly back any liabilities until the two companies' financial standing was strengthened. A Treasury official confirmed that regulators were working out details of an intervention plan on Saturday.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/06/news/economy/fannie_freddie_paulson.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008090611&eref=rss_topstories

Candidates weigh in on stabilizing Fannie, Freddie

WASHINGTON - The historic takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which could come as soon as Sunday, moved to the forefront of the presidential campaign Saturday as candidates and congressional leaders seized on the enormous implications for taxpayers and the economy.


Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac together hold or back half of the nation's mortgage debt, and have played an increasingly important role in the real estate market since the credit crisis started in August 2007. A government bailout could cost taxpayers around $25 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and two other regulators are working on a plan to put the troubled mortgage finance companies into a conservatorship, and remove Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd and Freddie Mac CEO Richard Syron, according to Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

The government is expected to control the two companies at least a year as it evaluates and debates whether Fannie and Freddie should remain government-run entities or be restructured in some fashion, Frank said in an interview.

At a rally in Colorado Springs, Col., Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said, "They've gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers. The McCain-Palin administration will make them smaller and smarter and more effective for homeowners who need help."

Democratic nominee Barack Obama, speaking in Terre Haute, Ind., said, "These entities are so big and they're so tied into the housing market that it is probably true that we have to take steps to make sure they don't just collapse, because the housing market, which is already weakened, would be in even worse shape if we didn't take some steps."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080906/ap_on_bi_ge/mortgage_giants_crisis

[North Pole]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Tavarish North Pole, I am trying to keep this thread 'geopolitical' and 'Russia' related. Please post your anti-American materials in other threads.

I am sorry.... but I am confused by your logic, Armenian - you posted anti-American materials in this thread as well.

[North Pole]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

When in the past I posted materials about the 'decline' of American power/influence the information was directly tied to the rise of Russian and/or Chinese power, for instance.

And I did the very same thing. I commented on your info about the Yanks and Georgian soldiers by posting information that tell us that america is going to burn in Hell.

So I think you contradict your own logic, Armenian.

Report claims U.S. military trained Georgian special forces

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/30065

[ZORAVAR]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[QUOTE=Armenian;203688]

I think I know how this video was found. I have a feeling this video was abandoned by the "yahoo" yelling criminals when they ran away like pathetic cowards at the first sight of Russians...

The vehicle from which that footage was filmed is a "Made in Turkey" Autokar Cobra armoured car which uses a Hummer chassis.

The Georgians acquired a number of those from Turkey. Many were destroyed during the conflict in S. Ossetia. One was shown by the Russian forces as a war trophy and at least one other was captured by the S. Ossetian militia and is now in their inventory.

[Federate]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

The vehicle from which that footage was filmed is a "Made in Turkey" Autokar Cobra armoured car which uses a Hummer chassis.

The Georgians acquired a number of those from Turkey. Many were destroyed during the conflict in S. Ossetia. One was shown by the Russian forces as a war trophy and at least one other was captured by the S. Ossetian militia and is now in their inventory.

Thanks for the info. Here's more on this "Otokar"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otokar_Cobra

[ZORAVAR]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Thanks for the info. Here's more on this "Otokar"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otokar_Cobra

Yes, that is the one.

Here is an OTOKAR COBRA damaged in S. Ossetia. I hope it is the one of those Hooligan Georgians who were yelling "yahoo" while shooting at civilians.

The BMP armoured vehicle passing by is manned by members of the Chechen VOSTOK battalion. That vehicle was also captured from the Georgians. The soldiers stenciled all those markings to avoid being mistaken as Georgians.

[ZORAVAR]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

EREBUNI AIRBASE AND GYUMRI DEFENSES

A squadron of Russian manned Mig-29 Fighters is based there. They are often seen in Yerevan's skies during training flights.

Here is a short video clip about them. Also shown are some surface to air missiles near Gyumri (also manned by Russians).

Video is in Russian language.

http://zvezdaarmy.ru/sugeti/2008/05/04/yuzhnyy-schit-strany

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

EREBUNI AIRBASE AND GYUMRI DEFENSES

A squadron of Russian manned Mig-29 Fighters is based there. They are often seen in Yerevan's skies during training flights. Here is a short video clip about them. Also shown are some surface to air missiles near Gyumri (also manned by Russians). Video is in Russian language. http://zvezdaarmy.ru/sugeti/2008/05/...y-schit-strany

Excellent, Zoravar. Thank you. I was not aware of this particular video presentation. More information regarding Russia's military presence in the Armenian Republic:

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Russian 102nd Military Base, Gyumri Armenia

Russian 102nd Military Base (video presentation): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noqMHlYYNrc

Armenian-Russian Military Base // Armenia (video presentation): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMqd4Dr_bF4

Additional pictures of the 102 Russian base in Gyumri: http://pilot.strizhi.info/2007/01/03/1552

Russian 102nd Military Base is a Russian military base in Gyumri, Armenia, part of the Transcaucasian Group of Forces. It was formerly the Soviet Army's 127th Motor Rifle Division. The base is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the Armenian capital Yerevan. There are 3,000 Russian soldiers officially reported to be stationed at the 102nd Military Base located in Gyumri. In early 2005, the 102nd Military Base had 74 tanks, 17 infantry fighting vehicles, 148 armored personnel carriers, 84 artillery pieces, 30 Mig-29 fighters and several batteries of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. A great deal of military hardware has been moved to the 102nd Base from the Russian military bases in Batumi and Akhalkalaki, Georgia which includes 35 tanks and armored vehicles and 370 pieces of military hardware. The military base is part of a joint air defense system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which was deployed in Armenia in 1995. Furthermore, Armenian air force relies upon the Russian Mig-29s located in the military base, for the defense of the Armenian airspace. The Russian military base was deployed on the territory of Armenia as early as 1996. The bilateral treaty states that the Russian military will be in the base for 25 years, but Armenian authorities have said that if needed this time-frame can be reviewed, and exclusively in the direction of prolongation. Also Russia does not pay Armenia for the military base stationed in Gyumri; moreover the Armenian side takes care of all public utilities water, electricity, etc. In 1997, Armenia and Russia signed a far-reaching friendship treaty, which calls for mutual assistance in the event of a military threat to either party and allows Russian border guards to patrol Armenia’s frontiers with Turkey and Iran. Previously the 127th Motor Rifle Division consisted of the 123rd, 124th, and 128th Motor Rifle Regiments, the 992nd Artillery Regiment, and the 116th Independent Tank Battalion. The 123rd Motor Rifle Regiment was formed from the former 164th Motor Rifle Division in Armenia.

Source: http://www.gyumri.eu/102nd_military_base.htm

3624th Russian Air Force Base, Erebuni Armenia

MiG-29s in Erebuni Air Base, Armenia (video presentation): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvOrSCRYlsQ

Additional pictures of Erebuni based Mig 29 fighters: http://pilot.strizhi.info/2007/01/03/1522

Satellite imagery of the 3624th Russian Air Force Base in Erebuni: http://virtualglobetrotting.com/view...ce=0&mid=23205

TV REPORTS ON AIR DEFENCE EXERCISE AT RUSSIAN AIR BASE IN ARMENIA

Zvezda TV, May 4 2008

[Presenter] The country's southern shield is being tested for
robustness: alert signals were sounded again at the Russian air base
in Armenia. Fighter aircraft are scrambled into the air. A few minutes
into the flight it becomes clear that it was a practice alert.

The air defence forces on the ground also tested their readiness to
repel attacks. Our special correspondent Andrey Kovtunenko followed
the military exercise in Armenia's peaceful skies.

[Correspondent] [Passage omitted] It is battle quarters at the Russian
air base of Erebuni. [Passage omitted] While the pilot is getting
ready for the flight, the technicians, having run 100 metres [to the
aircraft], are removing covers from a MiG-29. A few minutes later,
the pilot jumps into the xxxxpit and is ready to take off. [Passage
omitted]

The border with Turkey is only 14 km away - for a MiG, it is just
a couple of minutes. Therefore, depending on the combat mission,
[the pilot] has to turn one way or the other and fly back.

In 1998, the air group revamped its fleet: MiG-29s went on combat
training duty at the CIS combined air defence system. It is now 10
years since the MiG-29 started protecting the skies over Armenia. The
aircraft has acquitted itself well in hot conditions and in the
mountains. Experienced pilots treat this aircraft with respect:
it is easy to run and reliable in combat.

One can only speak to the pilot after he has accomplished his combat
mission: traditionally, they do not give interviews before the flight.

[Yevgeniy Yakimov, captioned as an aviation regiment commander; in the
xxxxpit after landing] We perform air defence tasks in the CIS combined
air defence system. We are performing our tasks successfully. On 22
[presumably April] there was a major large-scale exercise at the CIS
combined air defence system. We achieved our objective in full.

[Correspondent] Only a few years ago, Turkish pilots often staged
aerial tests for ours. Nowadays, this is a rare occurrence.

[Pavel Maratkanov, captioned as deputy commander of the air base for
educational work] It is not often that we are scrambled into action
but it happens. Sometimes they make sorties to test us - but not
often. The most recent incident was last year.

[Correspondent] While pilots polish their aerial skills, the missile
defence system is on permanent combat duty. Russian and Armenian
officers track all aerial targets together.

At the air defence base near Gyumri [also in Armenia], meanwhile,
the S-300 and Kub-3M missile defence systems are on alert. Servicemen
from this regiment recently took part in an exercise in Ashuluk
[in southern Russia]. Their performance was marked as excellent.

[Aleksandr Surinkin, captioned as anti-aircraft regiment commander]
At the 2008 tactical exercise with live firing, the regiment fired
on evading low-flying aerial target. The target was destroyed at the
maximum range. The mark was excellent.

[Correspondent] It is no secret to anyone here that Armenia regards the
102nd Russian military base deployed in the republic as an element of
it national security. In this country, they value friendly relations.

Source: http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230966.html