The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

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

The following news report is quite interesting, and its military implications are great. A Chinese navy attack submarine suddenly surfaces in the middle of a major US naval exercise involving the USS Carrier Kitty Hawk. Carrier battle groups are the crown jewels of the US military, they physically and metaphorically symbolize the might the US enjoys on the oceans of the world.

Armenian

************************************************** ******************

The uninvited guest: Chinese sub pops up in middle of U.S. Navy exercise, leaving military chiefs red-faced


Uninvited guest: A Chinese Song Class submarine, like the one that sufaced by the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk

When the U.S. Navy deploys a battle fleet on exercises, it takes the security of its aircraft carriers very seriously indeed. At least a dozen warships provide a physical guard while the technical wizardry of the world's only military superpower offers an invisible shield to detect and deter any intruders. That is the theory. Or, rather, was the theory. American military chiefs have been left dumbstruck by an undetected Chinese submarine popping up at the heart of a recent Pacific exercise and close to the vast U.S.S. Kitty Hawk - a 1,000ft supercarrier with 4,500 personnel on board. By the time it surfaced the 160ft Song Class diesel-electric attack submarine is understood to have sailed within viable range for launching torpedoes or missiles at the carrier. According to senior Nato officials the incident caused consternation in the U.S. Navy. The Americans had no idea China's fast-growing submarine fleet had reached such a level of sophistication, or that it posed such a threat.

Battle stations: The Kitty Hawk carries 4,500 personnel

One Nato figure said the effect was "as big a shock as the Russians launching Sputnik" - a reference to the Soviet Union's first orbiting satellite in 1957 which marked the start of the space age. The incident, which took place in the ocean between southern Japan and Taiwan, is a major embarrassment for the Pentagon. The lone Chinese vessel slipped past at least a dozen other American warships which were supposed to protect the carrier from hostile aircraft or submarines. And the rest of the costly defensive screen, which usually includes at least two U.S. submarines, was also apparently unable to detect it. According to the Nato source, the encounter has forced a serious re-think of American and Nato naval strategy as commanders reconsider the level of threat from potentially hostile Chinese submarines. It also led to tense diplomatic exchanges, with shaken American diplomats demanding to know why the submarine was "shadowing" the U.S. fleet while Beijing pleaded ignorance and dismissed the affair as coincidence. Analysts believe Beijing was sending a message to America and the West demonstrating its rapidly-growing military capability to threaten foreign powers which try to interfere in its "backyard".

The People's Liberation Army Navy's submarine fleet includes at least two nuclear-missile launching vessels. Its 13 Song Class submarines are extremely quiet and difficult to detect when running on electric motors. Commodore Stephen Saunders, editor of Jane's Fighting Ships, and a former Royal Navy anti-submarine specialist, said the U.S. had paid relatively little attention to this form of warfare since the end of the Cold War. He said: "It was certainly a wake-up call for the Americans. "It would tie in with what we see the Chinese trying to do, which appears to be to deter the Americans from interfering or operating in their backyard, particularly in relation to Taiwan." In January China carried a successful missile test, shooting down a satellite in orbit for the first time.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1811

[skhara]

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

while Beijing pleaded ignorance and dismissed the affair as coincidence.

[Armenian]

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

Taking a closer look at what many western military analysts consider to be the most formidable submarine fighting force on earth today.

Armenian

************************************************** *********************

Russian Submarine Forces

Information: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/s...rus/index.html

Project 941 Typhoon Class Ballistic Missile Submarine (Nuclear Powered)


Typhoon Class Submarine(video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykYHN3pP2SA

During the Cold War the Typhoon submarines prowled the waters of the North Atlantic. These submarines do not have to submerge or go to sea to launch their long-range missiles. They are able to do so tied up at their docks. The Typhoon is the world’s largest submarine and was one of the most feared weapons of the Cold War. Each submarine is capable of carrying twenty long-range ballistic missiles with up to 200 nuclear warheads that were once aimed at the United States. NATO apparently derived the name 'Typhoon' from a 1974 speech by Leonid Brezhnev which mentioned a new SSBN called the "Tayfun". In fact, the Russian name for the class is "Akula" -- "Shark" -- which should not be confused with NATO's "Akula" SSN (which the Russians designate as "Bars"). The design of the Typhoon submarine is multi-hulled and bears resemblance to a catamaran. The submarine has two separate pressure hulls with a diameter of 7.2 m each, five inner habitable hulls and 19 compartments. The pressure hulls are arranged parallel to each other and symmetrical to a centerplane. The missile compartment is arranged in the upper part of the bow between the pressure hulls. Both hulls and all compartments are connected by transitions. The pressure hulls, the centerplane and the torpedo compartment are made of titanium and the outer light hull is made of steel. A protected module, comprising the main control room and electronic equipment compartment, is arranged behind the missile silos above the main hulls in a centerplane under the guard of retractable devices.

Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/941.htm

Project 935 Borei Class Strategic Missile Submarine (Nuclear Powered)

On 16 October 1996 Commander in Chief of the Russian Navy ADM Feliks Gromov announced that work would start on a new-generation strategic nuclear-powered submarine, which he said would be "two or three times more powerful" than any submarine currently in the fleet. The keel of the fourth-generation strategic missile submarine Yuri Dolgoruky was laid down at the Sevmash State Nuclear Ship-Building Centre at Severodvinsk on 2 November 1996. The keel-laying was postponed for a week after poor weather made it impossible for high ranking officials to attend, including First Deputy Defense Minister Andrei Kokoshin, Presidential Chief of Staff Anatoly Chubais, Moscow mayor Yuri Luzkhov, and Admiral Gromov. Kokoshin described the new Yuri Dolgoruky as a state-of-the-art submarine with "substantial improvements" over those currently in service, and Chubais termed the new submarine "a totally unique thing, a submarine for the next century." The city of Moscow is sponsoring the project, as the lead vessel is named after Prince Dolgoruky, the traditional founder of the city. The wages of shipyard workers and the crew of the new boat will [reportedly] be paid by the city in the event that the federal government is unable to pay. So-called "Presentation" weapons were commonplace in the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. Presentation weapons were almost always the result of monetary collections taken up locally and voluntarily, and offered towards the cost of various vehicles or other items in the name of some personality or entity. Thus, the workers of a factory, town, or even just local citizens could take up a collection and "buy" a tank or aircraft (etc.) in the name of their Factory, group, or perhaps a local or even national figure -- contemporary or historical. One of the oldest Russian annals, the Lavrenty Chronicle, was compiled in Nizhny Novgorod at the request of Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich. It contains "The Instructions to His Children of Vladimir Monomakh". Vladimir Monomach ruled in Kiev, the then capital of the Russian state, between 1113 and 1125. He was the father of Yuri Dolgoruky, the founder of Moscow. The meeting of Prince Dolgoruky and Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich on 04 April 1147 in Moscow is the oldest mentioning of Moscow in chronicles. This is the first submarine of the new Borei-class [Boreas], with a length of 170 meters, a body diameter around 10 metres, and a submerged speed of over 25 knots (over 45km/h). With about half the displacement of the Typhoon, the 935 class will nonetheless carry 20 SLBMs of a new type.

Source: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/slbm/935.htm

Project 949 Granit/Oscar I Project 949A Antey/Oscar II Cruise Missile Attack Submarine (Nuclear Powered)

The Oscar-class nuclear-powered cruise missile attack submarine, which displaces more than 18,000 tons when under water, is one of Russia's largest and most capable submarines. As with earlier cruise-missile submarine, the Oscar was designed primarily to attack American aircraft carrier battle groups. As with other Russian submarines, the Oscar features a double hull -- and inner pressure hull and an outer hydrodynamic hull, with eight inches of rubber between them to muffle sounds. American submarines have a single pressure hull, with additional hydrodynamic fairings, such as the cap that encloses the bow sonar dome. The 3.5 meter separation between the inner and outter hulls on the Oscar provides significant reserve buoyancy, and improved survivability against conventional torpedoes. These large submarines are said to be slow to dive and maneuver, though they are credited with a submerged speed of about 30 knots - sufficient to keep pace with their targets. The improved Oscar II is about 10 meters longer than the Oscar I, possibly making room for a quieter propulsion system, and feature upgraded electronic systems. The Oscar II is also characterized by a substantially enlarged fin, which should improve underwater manueverability, as well as the substitution of the Oscar-I's four-bladed propeller with a [presumably] quiter seven-blade propeller. The Oscars are rather poorly characterized in the open literature, with substantial discrepancies in reported submerged displacement [the upper estimates are probably closer to the mark] and maximum submerged speed [reportedly classified intelligence estimates have tended upward over time. Considerable confusion also exists as to the names of some units. During the Cold War essentially no information was publicly available concerning the names of Soviet submarines, and with the end of the Cold War the Russian Navy has exibited an annoying tendency to rename ships [a very un-American practice]. And unlike the American practice, in which hull numbers are generally assigned in a consecutive numerical sequence which corresponds to the chronological sequence of construction, the pennant numbers assigned Russian submarines [eg, K-141] do not conform to an apparent set pattern.

Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...russia/949.htm

Project 667 BDRM Delfin Ballistic Missile Submarine (Nuclear Powered)

The Russian Navy operates seven Project 667 BDRM "Delfin" class strategic missile submarines. The submarines operate in the Northern Fleet and are based at the Saida Guba Naval Base. The submarines were built at the Severodvinsk Shipyard from 1981 to 1992. The first of class, K51, was commissioned in December 1985. In NATO countries they are referred to as the "Delta IV" class submarines. The submarine design is similar to Project 667 BDR ("Delta III" class). The submarine constitutes a double-hulled configuration with missile silos housed in the inner hull. The nose horizontal hydroplanes are arranged on the sail. They can rotate to the vertical for breaking through the ice cover. The operational diving depth of the submarine is 320 metres with a maximum depth of 400 metres. The propulsion system provides a run speed of 24 knots surfaced and 24 knots submerged. The submarine carries supplies for an endurance of 80 days. The surface of the submarine has an acoustic coating to reduce the acoustic signature. The "Delfin" submarines are strategic nuclear missile submarines designed to carry out strikes on military and industrial installations and naval bases.

Source: http://www.enemyforces.com/navy/667.htm

Project 971 Shuka-B Akula class Attack Submarine (Nuclear Powered)

The Project 971 Shuka-B attack submarine multi-purpose submarine is capable of strikes against groups of hostile ships and against coastal installations. Designated the "Akula" class by the West, the submarine is officially designated Project 971 Shuka B (shuka is an aggressive breed of fresh water pike). Some 110 meters long, the Akula is double-hulled with considerable distance between the outer and inner hulls to reduce the possible damage to the inner hull. The hull is constructed of low magnetic steel, and divided into eight compartments, and features a distinctive high aft fin. The Project 971, using a steel hull, was initiated in 1976 when it became evident that existing industrial infrastructure was inadequate to mass produce the expensive titanium hulls of the Project 945 Sierra class. The performance of the Project 971 boats was a close approximation to that of the Project 945 design, though the later was significantly more expensive to build and maintain. It has 650 mm and 533 mm torpedo tubes which can use mines as well as Granat cruise missiles, antisubmarine missiles, and torpedoes. The submarines feature double hull construction, dramatically increasing the reserve buoyancy of the submarine by as much as three times over that of a single hull craft. Ballast tanks and other gear are located between the inner and outer hulls, and limber holes are provided for the free-flooding sections between the hulls. Akula class submarines incorporate limber hole covers that can be closed to reduce or eliminate this source of unwanted noise. Built to engage surface task forces and coastal facilities, the Akula submarine design was under constant upgrade. NATO designated the Project 971 boats as Akula I, and the Project 971U as "Improved Akula I" while Project 971A was designated Akula II. According to some reports the 'Akula-II' class has a 3.7 meter longer hull to accomdate a quieter propulsion system. There is some non-trivial disagreement between authoritative sources as to launch and commission dates for all units, as well as which units are 'Improved Akula' vs. 'Akuka-II'. The Akula is the quietest Russian nuclear submarine ever designed, and the low noise levels came as a surprise to Western intelligence. Russia claims the Akula is the quietest of its domestically built submarines and is fitted with acoustic countermeasure equipment.

Source: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/row/rus/971.htm

Project 877 Kilo class Project 636 Kilo class Torpedo Submarine (Diesel-Electric Powered)

The Kilo Class (Project 877) submarine was designed for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare in the protection of naval bases, coastal installations and sea lanes, and also for general reconnaissance and patrol missions. The Kilo is considered to be to be one of the quietest diesel submarines in the world. The submarine consists of six watertight compartments separated by transverse bulkheads in a pressurised double-hull. This design and the submarine's good reserve buoyancy lead to increased survivability if the submarine is holed, even with one compartment and two adjacent ballast tanks flooded. The foreplanes are positioned on the upper hull in front of the fin or sail. The command and control systems and fire control systems are located in the main control room which is sealed off from the other compartments. The Project 636 design is a generally improved development of the Project 877EKM Kilo class that represents an interim design between the standard 'Kilo' and the new Lada project. The Project 636 is actively promoted for the world market by the Rosvoorouzhenie state-owned company. This submarine has improved range, firepower, acoustic characteristics and reliability. Visually distinguished by a step on the aft casing, the length of the hull is extended by two frame spacings (2 x 600 mm). The additional length permitted increasing the power of diesel-generators and mounting them on improved shock-absorbing support, and reducing twofold the main propulsion shaft speed. Owing to these improvements, the submarine speed and sea endurance were increased, while the noise level was radically decreased. The low noise level of the submarine has been achieved with the selection of quiet machinery, vibration and noise isolation and a special anti-acoustic rubber coating applied on the outer hull surface. The Project 636 is equipped with six 533 mm forward torpedo tubes situated in the nose of the submarine and carries eighteen torpedoes with six in the torpedo tubes and twelve stored on the racks. Alternatively the torpedo tubes can deploy mines. The submarine can carry 24 mines with two in each of the six tubes and twelve on the racks. Two torpedo tubes are designed for firing remote-controlled torpedoes with a very high accuracy. All torpedo tubes and their service systems provide effective firing from periscope to operational depths. The computer-controlled torpedo system is provided with a quick-loading device.

Source: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/row/rus/877.htm

[Armenian]

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

The Chinese reaction was very amusing indeed. However, one thing I don't understand is whether this report, which I found posted within various news media outlets today, is the same one as the incident involving the same ships last year? Regardless of when this incident occurred, this situation is even funnier when you take into consideration that the submarine in question - Chinese Song Class - is actually more-or-less an improved version of the Russian Kilo Class/Romeo Class diesel/electric powered attack submarines. The technology used in this ultra-quiet Chinese attack submarine is approximately twenty five years old. Therefore, the submarine's "level of sophistication," as the news article states, is actually not very advanced. It's obvious that they are trying to make excuses as to why the lone submarine was not detected by the carrier battle group. Militarily speaking, this occurrence is a major shock to naval commanders within the US Navy. Nevertheless, I would be interested to know why this incident, if it is indeed the same incident as the one that occurred last year, is making fresh rounds in the news media today.

Armenian

************************************************** *********************

Song Class Attack Submarine

Song S20 Class

A submerged Song-class attack submarine shadowed Japan-based CV-63 Kitty Hawk in the East China Sea near Okinawa without being detected on 26 October 2006. The boat surfaced within five miles of the carrier, and only then was it spotted, by one of the carrier's planes on a routine surveillance flight. The submarine is normally equipped with wake-homing torpedos and anti-ship cruise missiles. Disclosure of the submarine encounter came while Adm. Gary Roughead, Coammander of the US Pacific Fleet, was in China holding talks with Chinese navy leaders. The encounter was something of an embarrassment to Adm. William J. Fallon, Commander of US forces in the Pacific, who has engaged in an ambitious military exchange program with China. The SONG is China's first new-design, conventionally powered submarine. The SONG is a blend of Chinese and Western technology and has several key features that point to a major shift in diesel submarine design philosophy. It is the first Chinese submarine to have a skewed propeller. The SONG also is the first Chinese submarine designed to carry the developmental YJ-82, China's first encapsulated ASCM capable of launching from a submerged submarine. SONGs are probably fitted with flank-array sonars of French design. Chinese diesel submarines are fitted with German MTU diesel engines.

The Type 039 Wuhan C- class submarines, also referred to as the S20 Song-class, is China’s most modern indigenously built diesel attack submarine. The Song-class, produced at the Wuhan shipyard, is 75 meters long, and 8.4 meters wide, giving a length-breadth ratio of 8.9, about the same as that of the 035-type. The submarine is equipped with a seven-blade large slanted propeller and shock-absorbance for the main engine. As seen from the color of the submarine's hull, it is already using damping tiles similar to those used on the "K"-class submarines. The body of the submarine is water-drop shaped and it has a wrap-casing rudder, although it still retains the stepped conning tower similar to the old Ming/Romeo class. It is believed that the first Chinese naval platform capable of submerged launching of cruise missiles will be the Song-class submarine. It is designed to launch the Yingji-8 anti-ship guided missiles from underwater. However, test firings of the YJ-82 sub-launched anti-ship missile were unsuccessful during sea trials during the late 1990s.

Overall, their shape is like that of Western submarines and their technology is equivalent to the international level of the early 1980s. It also reportedly incorporates technologies acquired from Russia, as well as from Western countries. China is believed to have good access to a wide variety of foreign sonars, to include passive ranging sonars, flank array sonars, variable-depth sonars, as well as helicopters equipped with dipping sonars. Incorporating a German propulsion system and advanced hydrodynamic design, the Song-class is said to be as quiet as the American Los Angles nuclear submarines. But its overall performance is constrained by the use of 1980s technology, and the fact that the PLAN purchased the Russian Kilo-class submarines suggests that there are problems with the Song-class. Intended to replace the aging Ming-class submarines, the first Song-class submarine was launched on 25 May 1994 and started sea trials in August 1995. but did not become operational until 1998. They are a great advance on the Type 035, but are said to be a less than satisfactory design. Problems reportedly include excessive noise radiation and systems integration difficulties. The integration of Chinese, Russian and imported systems such as the French TSM 2225 sonar and German diesel engine is blamed for serious system design and operational problems on the lead boat.

Type 039G

The improved variant deleted the stepped conning tower of the first unit, resulting in an appearance like that of the French Agosta-90B. A coating of anechoic tiles is believed to have been added to reduce the acoustic signature while submerged. There is unconfirmed speculaiton that future units might be fitted with an AIP system which may have been tested onboard a Ming class SS. According to some reports, two units were in afloat as of 1997, and two or three additional units under construction, though subsequent reports confirmed that only one unit was actually active by 1999. Two more boats (321 and 322) were laid down at Wuhan Shipyard within a year after the launch of the first boat. The second unit was extensively modified due to serious problems encountered onboard the first boat. This second unit was launched in late 1999, a year later than originally anticipated, and was formally commissioned in 2001. As of late 2003 at least three Songs are in service with at least two additional units under construction. The 2nd 039G (322) was believed to be undergoing sea trial in late 2002. Since then at least three new hulls were launched at Wuhan Shipyard and one more was being built at Jiangnan Shipyard,

Additional construction of the improved variant was reportedly planned at two per year from 1998 with as many as nine additional improved units contemplated. This program was apparently slowed in favor of Russian-built submarines and continued production of the Ming-class. Other sources suggested that the class would be cancelled in favor of further purchases of Russian boats, given the unsatisfactory performance of the first unit of the class. As of late 2004 there were probably at least five Songs completed, with eight or more under construction. The year 2004 was a landmark for the Song, with two vessels launching at the Wuchang shipyard, and, for the first time, two more launched at Shanghai's Jiangnan shipyard. By early 2005 there were at least 10 Songs either in commission, on sea trials, or in the final stages of being fitted out, with seven of these submarines reportedly built since 2003. From pubished photos it can be confirmed that the following numbers have been painted on PLAN Songs: 320, 314, 315, 316, 321, 322, 323, and 324. Janes Fighting Ships says there is a 325, though as of mid-2005 there were no published photos.

Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...china/song.htm

[Armenian]

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

Russia Seeks Its Place in the Sun

The declaration earlier this month by Admiral Vladimir Masorin, commander of the Russian navy, that Moscow intends to re-establish a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean is under close scrutiny from Washington to Tel Aviv. While more an aspiration than established fact, the move carries myriad, challenging implications, ranging from the US Sixth Fleet's regional monopoly on naval power to the security of trans-Caucasian and North African energy supply routes. Yet it is the prospect of Russia reactivating its cold war naval bases in Syria's Tartus and Latakia ports which could have the most dramatic impact. By raising Syria's stock in the region, analysts say such a move could further complicate western attempts to achieve settlements in Lebanon and Palestine. Defensive missile and surveillance systems around any Russian installations might also shift the military balance to Israel's disadvantage. A brief by Stratfor.com, a private US intelligence firm, said: "A Russian naval presence off the Syrian coast could allow Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's regime to better inoculate itself against a potential attack by the US or Israel ... The Russians would be offering an attractive insurance policy."

The Russian Black Sea fleet's 720th Logistics Support Point at Tartus has been in disuse since 1991, when the Soviet Union imploded. Yet it remains the only Russian military base outside the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States territory. Last year Russia reportedly dredged Tartus and began building a new dock at Latakia. Kommersant newspaper said the plans were far from implementation. But as the Kiev Post noted, the Black Sea fleet's lease on its Sevastopol base is hostage to Ukraine's volatile relations with Moscow - and will in any case expire in 2017, necessitating a renegotiation or a move. Wary of Israel's possible reaction (and Russian domination), Syria denies any intention to host a new military presence. But in the double-dealing world of Middle East politics, such statements by a regime with long-standing political and commercial links to Russia are not taken at face value.

Syria could threaten a Russian go-ahead if its recent, limited cooperation with the US over Iraq fails to win concessions on Lebanon or guarantees that Washington will not pursue regime change. President Vladimir Putin, involved in a bare-chested global game of military and diplomatic one-upmanship with the US, may also be using the Syrian bases as pawns. They could equally be used to increase Russian leverage over the US-led peace process or to control Syria's future behavior, depending on where Moscow's perceived interests lie. Dmitri Trenin, of the Carnegie Endowment, says Moscow's pragmatic - and by implication, unprincipled - foreign policymakers are "looking for opportunities wherever they may be". That meant building influence in the Middle East in particular.

For this reason, said Pavel Baev, of Eurasia Daily Monitor, Mr Putin was hedging his bets while he waited to see how the twin crises with Iraq and Iran play out. One example: now that panicky Arab states are pursuing nuclear programs to match Iran's, Russia wants its share of the resulting business in the Gulf. Yet at the same time, Moscow is helping Iran complete its Bushehr nuclear facility. Mr Baev said Russia was manoeuvring to profit from an irresistible window of opportunity: the power shift that would follow a US defeat in Iraq. "In the envisaged no-holds-barred power play, Russia would not have any allies but could enjoy perfect freedom of manoeuvre and exploit the advantage of not being afraid of any oil crisis. "Declaring its adherence to pragmatism, Moscow is increasingly adopting anti-Americanism as its guiding political idea," he said. Toying with military bases in Syria was just part of a bigger, bolder bid to challenge US regional and global leadership.

Source: http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?...073609&lang=EN

[Armenian]

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

Georgia Says Russia Deploying More Soldiers In Rebel Area -AFP

Georgia accused Russia Monday of deploying at least 200 more soldiers and new military hardware into the Moscow-backed rebel region of Abkhazia. According to our information, during the whole day...Russia has been illegally bringing heavy weapons and military personnel into the territory of Abkhazia," Georgia's Minister for Conflict Resolution, David Bakradze, told reporters. Moscow denounced the allegations, with Russian army Deputy Chief of Staff Valeri Evnevich calling them a "classic provocation." The rebel leadership in the separatist republic also rejected the allegations.

Bakradze said five tanks, four Grad multiple rocket launchers, five armored personnel carriers, seven artillery cannons and about 200 soldiers - mostly of Chechen origin - had entered Abkhazia at the Black Sea port of Ochamchira, near Abkhazia's border with Georgia. "Some people in Russia think that Georgia has weakened following the recent events and can't give an adequate answer to such provocations. This is not the case," he said. Georgia is in the midst of its worst political crisis in years, with the country under emergency rule after violent clashes between police and anti-government protesters last week. Abkhazia's rebel President Sergei Bagapsh described Georgia's claims as "rubbish." "The world is getting tired of Georgia's provocative and silly reports," he told Russia's Interfax news agency. Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is under mounting Western pressure to lift the state of emergency, called a snap presidential poll for Jan. 5 after the clashes.

He has called last week's unrest part of an attempt masterminded by Russia to overthrow his government. bkhazia, a sliver of land on Georgia's Black Sea coast, broke away from the rest of the country after fierce fighting spearheaded by the ethnic-Abkhaz minority following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Saakashvili has vowed to return Abkhazia and another separatist region, South Ossetia, to central government control. Both regions enjoy support from Moscow, which hasn't formally recognized their independence but has provided Russian passports to local residents. About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers are deployed in Abkhazia under a 1994 ceasefire agreement that is monitored by a U.N. mission known as Unomig. lapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, sparking a bloody conflict in the region.

Source: http://www.easybourse.com/Website/dy...?NewsID=338442

Opposition leaders as anti-Russia as Saakashvili himself

Ian Bremmer, the leading American expert on CIS affairs, the President of influential Eurasia Group consulting firm speaks on his attitude to ongoing crisis in Georgia in an interview to RIA Novosti New York Bureau Chief Dmitry Gornostaev. According to Mr.Bremmer, one should expect to see a higher degree of American criticism for obvious democratic shortcomings in Georgia. He also believes, that Washington will focus on persuading President Saakashvili to lift the state of emergency declared by him earlier this week.

- Mr.Bremmer, what is your attitude towards the motions taken by the President Mikhail Saakashvili at one end, and the opposition at another end, including shutting the TV news coverage, declaring the state of emergency and violent clashes between the police and the protesters?

- The government's extreme reaction to the protests has strengthened the opposition's anti-government drive and made it more difficult for Georgia's western allies to stand by the government. While the democratically-elected Georgian government remains the legitimate authority, support for Saakashvili has undoubtedly deteriorated both domestically and internationally.

- What is the difference between the perception in the US of the anti-Saakashvili demonstrations which are taking place now, and the street protests that led Saakashvili to power four years ago?

- I think it's safe to say that the two are connected only so far as the recent protests were the largest anti-government protests since the Rose Revolution and the fact that the opposition timed the protests to coincide with the 4th anniversary of the revolution. The US, although obviously frustrated with recent events in Georgia and the government's moves, still strongly supports the Georgian government and Saakashvili.

- How would you comment on Mr.Saakashvili's saying that it's Russia that was fomenting the crisis in Georgia including the street protests of the opposition?

- Saakashvili's ongoing allegations that Russia is fomenting civil unrest
will exacerbate existing tensions with Moscow and with the
separatists. Meanwhile, the Russian embargo on Georgian imports continues to hurt the economy and prospects for long-term economic growth will not
improve without a resumption in trade with what was once Georgia's largest
trading partner. The government's efforts to discredit the opposition by accusing it of being aligned with Russia and subsequent moves to continue this line of reasoning, which includes recalling the Georgian ambassador to Moscow and expelling Russian embassy officials from Tbilisi, are unlikely to make any headway. In fact, the opposition parties have already launched a diplomatic offensive in the West, proclaiming in a joint manifesto that their political goals include improving relations with the EU and joining NATO. The opposition leaders have been just as anti-Russia in their stated foreign policy goals as Saakashvili himself. Moreover, the opposition is bankrolled by the wealthy oligarch Badri Patarkatsishvili, a close friend of outspoken anti-Kremlin dissident Boris Berezovsky.

- Could you forecast the steps that the US Administration might undertake towards the crisis parties in Georgia or toward Russia in the situation?

- The US supports the move to hold early presidential elections which has
diffused the political crisis and will keep Tbilisi relatively calm. The US will focus now on getting Saakashvili to lift the state of emergency. After the recent series of events, the US will be much more closely monitoring events on the ground and we should expect to see a higher degree of criticism for obvious democratic shortcomings than we have in the past.

- Will this crisis affect in any way the relations between the US and Georgia?

- Georgia remains a very important US ally and relaitons will not be harmed in the long run. The sequence of events between Georgia and Russia with Georgia recalling its ambassador to Moscow and expelling Russian embassy officials, following my similar moves from Russia risks worsening already poor relations with Russia.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20071112/87612671.html

[skhara]

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

Does this belong here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7orJ-Fg7vX8&mode=related&search=

[Armenian]

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

EDITORIAL: Georgia is Burning, and We Lit the Match

Russia is not interfering in the internal affairs of Georgia but it is increasingly concerned about possible provocations in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said. "We are not interfering in the internal affairs of Georgia or telling Georgian politicians what they should be doing or when. These are not our methods," Lavrov told a briefing in Moscow on Friday.Mr. Lavrov's comment would offend the intelligence of a turnip. Is this maniac, this card-carrying psychopath, really asking us to believe that if Russia were behind the protests in Georgia, if it were seeking to destabilize the pro-West regime of President Mikheil Saakashvili by any means possible, desperate to prevent Georgia's ascension into the ranks of NATO, then he would admit it?

Yes, that's just what he's doing. Remember when a certain shoeless Russian said he'd "bury" us? That is the level of propaganda, subhuman to the Nth degree, that is now being spewed forth from neo-Soviet Russia. The country has become fully detached from any vague concept of reality. It is crushed all the outlets of truth (newspapers, TV stations, NGOs) which might have brought in a bit of that reality, just as in Soviet times. Now, as then, it is unable to realize how utterly ridiculous its pronouncements make it seem anyplace outside of Russia's borders. Russia is engaged in a secret war in Georgia seeking to enslave the tiny country just as in Soviet times. Everybody knows Russia is governed by a proud KGB spy who spent his whole life learning how to lie, and whose word means absolutely nothing. After all, didn't Russia just unilaterally repudiate a major arms control treaty in Europe? As a letter to Robert Amsterdam states, referring to Russia's unilateral repudiation of the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty:

The way it is done (the moratorium) is significant. Putin is dismantling the cold war settlement. The first was YUKOS. Emboldened by the lack of reaction, he proceeds cautiously with the moratorium. There are two elements to moratorium: it is unilateral and it is reversible, as Kosachev took pains to point out yesterday. The reversible part, I think, is not meant to mark the moratorium as a bargaining chip, (marking bargaining chip as a "bargaining chip" makes it loose much of its value), but as a precaution if Americans would decide to take the stand against the new revision of the cold war settlement. They will not, of course. Other things will follow soon - let us wait for the next spring. All this is a grand preparation for fulfillment of Putin's life mission - the ultimate reversal of the cold war results - restoration to Russia of most of the territories of the former Soviet Union.Yet, the Kremlin apparently believes we will forget all that is obvious and listen to its siren song once again, out of cowardice or stupidity.

No chance. The Bush administration is showing remarkable aplomb on this issue, despite leading the world astray on Russia for many years. Matt Bryza, assistant secretary of state for European affairs and the top U.S. official for the Caucasus responded to Lavrov's outrageous statement by saying clearly and simply: "The president of Georgia has shown remarkable leadership.We trust in Georgia, the people of Georgia, the leadership of Georgia."

After all, facts are facts: Not only did the Georgian parliament unanimously approve President Saakashvili's decision last week to declare a state of emergency following yet another attempt by Russia to foment undermine his government -- exactly as it did in Ukraine only months ago -- but immediately after making the decision Saakashvili announced elections would occur to find out what the people really want. It's clear that this is exactly the result Russia wanted when it caused the street protests that triggered the emergency; having achieve this, Russia will now use every means possible to rig the elections and drive Saakashvili from power. Even if Russian forces don't succeed, they'll still have created a enough instability to make it difficult for NATO to admit Georgia as a member, since NATO's constitution requires stability as a prerequisite.

Let's be clear: What we are seeing in Georgia today is not one little bit different from what we saw in Hungary and Czechoslovakia as the Iron Curtain descended across the continent after World War II. The only reason Russia doesn't use exactly the same kind of brute military force is that Russia isn't strong enough to do so. Nonetheless, Russia is doing everything it can to reassert imperial control over Georgia, Ukraine and even the Baltic nations (as we report today) -- all the parts of its former Soviet empire. And Russia's aggression doesn't stop there. It's waging a full-scale cold war against Great Britain, buzzing it with nuclear bombers and (as we also report today) deluging it with spies that make it harder for Britain to focus its resources on combating radical Islamic terror. In a very real sense, Vladimir Putin is acting in concert with Osama Bin Laden. Russia is, of course, establishing a rather dangerous precedent, and perhaps there's a glimmer of hope in that. Suppose a few thousand protesters appear in Moscow this week, surround the Kremlin, hang Vladimir Putin in effigy, call him a terrorist and demand he step down. Does he now have to call elections at the protesters whim, any time Garry Kasparov says so, in order to prove he's really what the people want?

We can just hear the Russophile bagmen screeching now: Putin would surely win those elections, there would be no point! Putin has no opposition! Wrong, on both counts. It's absolutely clear that Saakashvili will win the snap elections he's called, everyone knows that. And the fact that Saakashvili has allowed an opposition to exist in Georgia is obviously proof that he's actually a democrat -- unlike the dictator Putin who has violently snuffed out every last vestige of true opposition politics in Russia. There's far more need for protesters to confront Putin than Saakashvili, and no thinking person can dispute that. Oh, the Russophile vermin will wail, what about the economy, the economy! What about Putin's brilliant economy?

Yes, what about the economy. Georgia's gross domestic product grew by 9.6 percent in 2006 and officials forecast 2007 growth of 14.5 percent. The government has boosted tax revenues and private investment is up. Per capita income has risen from $700 a year in 2003 to $1,500 now. When this kind of growth occurs in Russia, for the Russophile rabble it's conclusive proof that the regime responsible must be left alone. But when it occurs in Georgia, suddenly it means nothing. Georgia is posting better economic growth numbers than Russia is, and Georgia doesn't have massive oil revenues like Russia does. Its economic growth is much more real and therefore more impressive, because the accident of rising world oil prices isn't the primary cause. And let's not forget that Georgia is accomplishing this in face of massive Russian economic sanctions and other forms of destabilizing attacks. Russia faces no such obstacles.

There's no doubt that President Saakashvili could be doing more, and the West is right to hold him to a high standard of democratic fair play. He needs to protect his country against efforts to subvert its freedom, but he also has to win the propaganda war the Kremlin is waging. His country's future depends on it. But it's equally true that the West has not done nearly enough to guarantee Georgia's sovereignty against Russian encroachments. Having failed to provide sufficient security to this small country besieged by a larger one, can we really be surprised if we see a bit of paranoid behavior? We lit the match that sparked the conflagration now burning in Georgia by failing to do enough to show Russia it wouldn't be allowed to get away with this behavior. Now, it's up to us to extinguish the flames and contain Russian aggression, just as we successfully did in the first cold war.

After all, even paranoids have enemies. The United States has presidential elections scheduled for November 2008. Let's just imagine that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran comes to visit the United Nations next week, and while he's here he uses some of his country's oil revenues to buy himself a few thousand protesters (he can get them off the rack at Moveon.org, cheaper by the dozen; a few members of Congress might even come along). Let's say they go down to Washington DC and camp outside the White House. They hang George Bush (let's say he's only on his first term) in effigy and call him a terrorist. They call for his impeachment, and they won't leave no matter what until Bush agrees to move up the November elections to January and stand for reelection right away. Should he do it? Should he prove to this cadre of wackos, lackeys of a foreign rogue regime, that the country really supports him?

Judge not, lest ye be judged.

If we allow Russia to swallow Georgia the way we allowed he USSR to swallow Czechoslovakia, we condemn ourselves to the same protracted struggle to free it once again. Those who cannot remember history are doomed to repeat it. As Robert Amsterdam tirelessly points out, too many are ready to be bullied by the Kremlin's crude tactics. And there's simply no reason for it. As a new report from the European Union indicates, the EU alone has a population 3.5 times larger than Russia, ten times the military spending and fifteen times the economic base (in other words, a huge amount of room to expand military spending even more). If you add America into this mix, you have a an entity that can quite simply brush Russia aside like so much lint. We have nothing to fear from Russia but fear itself, and that is what Russia is hoping to maximize, saying our hand until it can somehow improve its own enough to fight a real battle. Now is the time to do act, before we bequeath to our children the same nightmare we lived through. They won't forgive us if we do that.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe!

Source: http://russophobe.blogspot.com/2007/...s-burning.html

[skhara]

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

How did you find this La Russophobe? They certainly put forth an objective point of view.

[Armenian]

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

How did you find this La Russophobe?

I have my ways...

They certainly put forth an objective point of view.

I just wanted to highlight how stupid and paranoid all these newly recreated Russophobes sound. Anyway, after reading the blog in question I felt horrified, somehow uneasy... So, I had to watch the following to reassure myself : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO70NlcqlBQ

People say I am crazy to think this but I firmly believe that Western civilization, Apostolic Christianity and geopolitical sanity on earth will be preserved, in the long run, as a result of the sudden emergence of the Russian Federation as a superpower asserting itself in global politics. I also hope that the presence of powerful Russia will somehow force the population of the United States to rediscover their lost credibility worldwide. Nonetheless, imagine the geopolitical state of world today without the Russian Federation, or a weakened Russia. Undoubtedly, Satan and his demons would have ruled over mankind. Thus, the Russian resurgence was, in a sense, God sent. What Putin and his supporters in the Kremlin managed to accomplish during the past seven years was in my opinion one of history's most important turning points. I firmly believe that Putin will someday be ranked amongst the world's finest rulers.

These are my personal convictions.

And this is a good time to post this again:

Putin warns of outside forces that wish to split Russia and take over its natural resources

President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that there are people in the world who wish to split up Russia and take over its vast natural resources, and others who would like to "rule over all mankind," a veiled reference to the United States. Speaking in front of Moscow's iconic St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square, Putin told a group of military cadets and youth group members that while "an overwhelming majority of people in the world" are friendly toward Russia, there are some who "keep saying to this day that our nation should be split."

"Some believe that we are too lucky to possess so much natural wealth, which they say must be divided," Putin said, speaking on National Unity Day. "These people have lost their mind," he added with a smile. Many Russians fear that their country's rapidly declining population and enormous natural wealth could one day leave it vulnerable to outside predators. But the theme of invasion was central to Sunday's holiday, which Putin created by decree in 2005 to commemorate the defense of Russia from a Polish-Lithuanian incursion in the beginning of the 17th century.

Putin on Sunday referred to the battle as a turning point in Russia's history that united the nation. Not missing a chance to take a shot at the United States, Putin said there are people who "would like to build a unipolar world and rule over all of mankind." He counted them as among the minority in the world who do not maintain a "friendly attitude" toward Russia. He said any attempt to establish a unipolar world was doomed to fail.

"Nothing of this kind has ever occurred in our planet's history, and I don't think it will ever happen," the president said. Putin has been highly critical of the United States for the invasion of Iraq and opposes its plans to build a limited missile shield in central Europe. Concern about outside forces wanting the division of Russia arose last month during Putin's three-hour nationally televised call-in show. A Siberian worker asked Putin about comments he said were made years ago by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright suggesting that Siberia had too many natural resources for one country.

"I know that some politicians play with such ideas in their heads," Putin replied, adding that such talk was "political erotica."

Putin, whose two-term presidency ends next year, said Russia will continue playing an active role in foreign policy and there are many people who look to Russia as a defender of small nations' rights and interests. Intended to invoke patriotism, National United Day has been hijacked by extreme nationalist groups that call for ridding Russia of foreigners and returning the pre-communist monarchy.

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/...ssia-Putin.php

And behold, the ugly face of one of the vile demons that would have loved to live off the decaying carcass of the Russian Federation:

"A Siberian worker asked Putin about comments he said were made years ago by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright suggesting that Siberia had too many natural resources for one country." "I know that some politicians play with such ideas in their heads," Putin replied, adding that such talk was "political erotica."

Regarding Albright's supposed comment: Just think of the geopolitical and ethical implications/ramifications of such a statement...