Russia-France arms deal raises concerns for neighbours
rick murphy
Not only "Russian navy is in a very poor state, so is once a very
mighty Russia. But typical Russian aggression is not. For French money
is what counts.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8408445.stm
13 December 2009
Russia-France arms deal raises concerns for neighbours
By Alla Lazareva
BBC Ukrainian Service, Paris
(pictures)
- The attack abilities of a Mistral-class ship have caused concern
- Mr Putin (right) stressed Russia would use the warship how it wished
- Rear Adm Blyznyukov says it is unclear how the ship will be deployed
A potential deal that would see France selling advanced military
technology to Russia has been causing concern among former Soviet
states.
Moscow is said to be getting closer to buying from the French a
Mistral-class assault warship - capable of transporting and deploying
up to 16 helicopters, 13 battle tanks and 450 troops - costing between
$600m (£368m) and $750m.
But critics of the potential deal in nations neighbouring Russia -
such as Ukraine, Georgia and the Baltic states - say it would
dramatically increase the military threat from Russia, increasing
tensions in some already difficult relations.
Nika Laliashvili, of the Georgian parliament's defence committee, has
said that Georgia "strongly opposes" the sale.
Should Paris decide to go ahead with the sale, France would become the
first Nato member to have chosen to sell advanced military technology
to Moscow.
'Serious danger'
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin discussed the potential deal
during a recent official visit to Paris.
"We are buyers, you are sellers," he told his hosts.
"Whoever we buy it from, we will reserve the right to use it where
and when we consider necessary."
And Russian generals have said that, had they had such a warship
during the August 2008 conflict with Georgia, they would have been
able to reach its shores within 40 minutes - rather than the 26 hours
the country's navy took after setting off from their base in the
Ukrainian Crimean port of Sevastopol.
But Mr Laliashvili said the deal would pose a "serious danger" to
Georgia.
And his comments have been echoed by Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas
Paet.
"Adding new military technology to the Black Sea... [would] not be a
good idea," said Mr Paet.
Concerns have also been raised in France itself.
"If such a decision is made, we need to understand the long-term
consequences it will have," Francoise Thom, an expert on the former
Soviet Union at Sorbonne University in Paris, told the BBC's Ukrainian
Service.
"It's obvious that such weaponry would allow Russia to mount
aggression against its neighbours," she added.
"It looks like France is giving Russia a green light for new
imperialistic wars."
Starved of funds
Meanwhile, Andre Glucksmann, a leading French writer and philosopher,
said the deal raised the risk not only of attack, but also of
blackmail by Russia.
"The countries of the Black Sea, Caspian and Baltic Sea regions are
nervous," he said.
"Poland and the Baltic States should state their objections publicly,
and Brussels should intervene to stop such a deal."
Retired Russian naval officers acknowledge that the Russian navy is in
a very poor state.
The shipyard, which produced the majority of Soviet aircraft carriers
and missile cruisers, is not even Russian; it is in Mykolayiv, in
southern Ukraine.
What remains of the Russian navy is estimated to be 20 times smaller
than that of the US.
Yet Russian manufacturers themselves oppose the potential purchase
from France - suggesting Moscow would do better to invest the money in
reinvigorating Russia's own military industrial complex, which they
say has been starved of funds.
Ukrainian Rear Adm Serhiy Blyznyukov, an adviser to the Ukrainian
defence minister, said it was not clear whether Russia would deploy a
Mistral-class warship to the Black Sea.
The base at Sevastopol, he said, is lacking the required
infrastructure - meaning Russia would have to station the warship at
the base of its Northern or Pacific Fleets.
But he acknowledged that in the longer term Russia could upgrade and
modernise its facilities in Sevastopol.
Another solution for Russia, he said, would be the creation of a new
naval base at the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, where
Ukraine hopes the current Black Sea fleet will be based after Russia's
lease in Crimea expires in 2017.
The Russian Defence Ministry said it was "continuing discussions" over
whether to purchase a French warship. A decision is expected by the
end of 2009.
charles q
While they have reason to express concerned i don't see russia doing
anything for a very long time.Their military infrastructure has all
but crumbled into nothing.They are hurting for money as well.France is
knda flaky any more and they seem not to care who the sell what to