Warships head to Mediterranean in Russian show of strength
Pastor Dale Morgan
Warships head to Mediterranean in Russian show of strength*
Staff and agencies
Wednesday December 5, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Russia has dispatched an 11-ship aircraft carrier group to the
Mediterranean Sea as a first step towards re-establishing a naval
presence in the region.
The manoeuvres are part of an effort to resume regular Russian naval
patrols around the world, according to the Russian defence minister,
Anatoly Serdyukov.
The Mediterranean fleet includes one aircraft carrier, two
anti-submarine ships and a guided missile cruiser, Serdyukov said, at a
meeting at the Kremlin with President Vladimir Putin.
The ships would conduct three tactical exercises with real and simulated
launches of sea- and air-based missiles and make nearly a dozen port
calls, he added.
"The expedition is aimed at ensuring a naval presence and establishing
conditions for secure Russian navigation," said Serdyukov.
The naval expedition is the latest effort by president Putin to breathe
new life into Russia's armed forces. Earlier this year, he ordered the
resumption of regular long-range flights of strategic bombers.
The manoeuvres also follow calls by Russian naval chief Admiral Vladimir
Masorin earlier this year for the country to restore a permanent
presence in the Mediterranean.
Soviet navy ships used to be based at the Syrian port of Tartus. Russia
still maintains a technical base there to serve its military vessels
that regularly go into the Mediterranean.