Tensions with BSF increase in Sevastopol Journal Staff Report KIEV, Aug. 26 – Russia’s Black Sea Fleet forces on Wednesday detained Ukrainian court officers in Sevastopol after the officers tried to enforce a court ruling that had ordered return of some navigation equipment to Ukraine. The officers were later released to police in Sevastopol, but […]

[US Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Facility Goes Online In Romania Tomorrow] Crimea to defend Russia from nuclear strike again Mil.ru photo The Russian Ministry of Defence will restore the Dnepr Missile Launch Detection System radar, which is situated near the city of Sevastopol. According to a source in military industrial complex, the upgraded facility will […]

State of emergency, blackout in Russia’s Crimea after transmission towers in Ukraine blown up © Igor Mikhalev / Sputnik   Russia’s Crimea has switched to autonomous reserve power after transmission towers in the adjacent Ukrainian Kherson region were blown up, causing a blackout. Meanwhile, the Right Sector and Crimean Tatar “activists” have been attempting to […]

Russian Black Sea Cruiser Moscow, Amphibs Heading to Drill in Eastern Mediterranean, MoD Warned Planes Away from Syria By: Sam LaGrone Several Russian warships are bound for the Eastern Mediterranean for high-end exercises, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defence. The Russian Navy’s Black Sea flag-ship — the guided missile cruiser Moscow […]

Black Sea Fleet floating workshop to head for the Syrian port Tartous Interfax The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s floating workshop PM-56 will depart in early October for the Syrian port of Tartous, the location of a Russian Navy logistics and supply center, a source in the Russian Navy Staff told Interfax-AVN on Monday. “The PM-56 […]

Direct line with Vladimir Putin Direct Line with Vladimir Putin was broadcast live on Channel One, Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24 TV channels, and Mayak, Vesti FM and Radio Rossii radio stations. April 16, 2015 15:55 29 of 44 Direct Line with Vladimir Putin. During the live broadcast that lasted 3 hours and 57 minutes, the President answered 74 questions out of the over 3 million […]

The Battle of Wills between the West and Russia:  Which Side Will Win?  By: Joshua Tartakovsky From the very beginning or emergence of the Ukraine crisis, as details of the coup emerged and Crimea was, in the eyes of the west – annexed by Russia – it became clear that we are heading to a […]

COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) No 692/2014 of 23 June 2014   Article 2 It shall be prohibited: (a) to import into the European Union goods originating in Crimea or Sevastopol; (b) to provide, directly or indirectly, financing or financial assistance as well as insurance and reinsurance related to the import of the goods referred to in […]

[SEE previous address at Valdai] Address to the Federal Assembly   December 4, 2014, 13:20 The Kremlin, Moscow Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly. December 4, 2014   Vladimir Putin made his Annual Address to the Federal Assembly. As is tradition, the Address took place at the Kremlin’s St George Hall before an audience of […]

[SEE: US blames Russia for Ukraine instability ] Remarks by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Security Council Meeting on Ukraine, April 13, 2014— “We know who is behind this. Indeed, the only entity in the area capable of these coordinated, professional military actions is Russia.” “You have heard […]

Armenia backs Crimea’s right to self-determination Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan (RIA Novosti/Tigran Mekhrabyan) Armenia has backed Crimea’s choice of joining Russia, supporting the right to self-determination for the peninsula’s population. In response, Ukraine has recalled its ambassador to Armenia. “Armenia’s principled position on the right to self-determination remains unchanged and has been repeatedly expressed over […]

[SEE:  The Indian/Russian Mach 3 Carrier-Killer Missile] Russia ‘Welcomes’ the US Destroyer Truxtun, by Moving Bastion Anti-Ship Missiles to Crimea Bastion launcher carriers were moved to Crimea last night. Unconfirmed news reports claim the Russian Navy is deploying land-based ‘Bastion’ anti-ship missile systems as a response to the recent U.S. move entering two naval vessels to […]

Navy base in Ukraine Donuzlave locked specifically sunken ship “Ochakov” (PHOTOS, VIDEO) Ships to the Naval Forces of Ukraine could not go to sea, the Russian military at the outlet of Lake Donuzlav last night flooded his previously written off large anti-submarine ship “Ochakov”. To pull it out, you will have a lot of time, […]

JUST LEARNED THAT 3 SHIPS TOTAL HAVE BEEN SCUTTLED TO COMPLETELY BLOCK ACCESS TO DONUZLAV. THE TUGBOAT/RESCUE VESSEL Shakhter is one of the sunken ships, the third ship is still unknown.  One of the ships blocks Strilets’ka bay, adjacent to Sevastopol.   ??? 3RD VESSEL AS YET UNIDENTIFIED

Lake Donuzlav Naval Air Station Ochakov is 569′ in length, the opening to Donuzlav measures about 1,000′ Russian anti-submarine ship sank in Black Sea  UKRINFORM KYIV, March 6 /Ukrinform/. According to the Ukrainian military, the Russian Black Sea Fleet ship “Ochakov” has been sunk off the coast of Crimea, the 0652 online publication learned from […]

5 ships on far right are Russian landing craft http://wikimapia.org/22111905/U510-Slavutych-Large-Intelligence-Ship 44°37’24″N   33°33’21″E U510 Slavutych, Kamchatka type fishing trawler, converted into Ukrainian Navy command ship.  Crew: 150, ZERO armaments GRISHA-5 class Corvette 1 twin SA-N-4 Gecko surface to air missile launcher (20 missiles); Strela-3 ADM system — 2 SA-N-8 Gremlin surface to air missile (8 […]

Large numbers of Russian forces reported entering Crimea Feb. 28, 2014: Unidentified armed men patrol in front of the airport in Simferopol, Ukraine. (AP) Large numbers of Russian troops were reported landing at a military air base in Crimea Friday, prompting Ukraine to accuse Russia of a military invasion. At the White House, President Obama […]

[In addition to the news on the “special cargo” heading to Syria, this article gives an up to date assessment of the Russian warships already patrolling the Syrian waters.  The big shock in this line-up is that it includes 6 large landing ships, enough to land a significant force of Spetsnaz marines, or to take-on […]

PRIAZOVYE (SSV-201) Russia sending spy ship to Mediterranean: Interfax   By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia is sending a reconnaissance ship to the eastern Mediterranean, Interfax news agency reported on Monday, as the United States prepares for a possible military strike in Syria. U.S. President Barack Obama has said he will seek congressional authorization […]

Command system of Russian rapid response naval force in Mediterranean Sea to be formed before year end SEVASTOPOL, March 19 (Itar-Tass) – The structure of the Command of a Russian rapid response naval force, which is being created for permanent operations in the Mediterranean Sea, will be formed finally in the headquarters of the Black […]

Tartus Port Russia Sending Warships on Maneuvers Near Syria By ANDREW E. KRAMER and RICK GLADSTONE MOSCOW — Russia said on Tuesday that it had dispatched a flotilla of 11 warships to the eastern Mediterranean, some of which would dock in Syria. It would be the largest display of Russian military power in the region […]

[SEE:  Russia gets its armed forces ready in the Caucasus] Experts Club Russia sends Black Sea warship to Syria -source ASW Destroyer Smetlivy # 810 (Class: Kashin) SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine | Tue Jul 10, 2012 (Reuters) – Russia dispatched a destroyer-class warship to Syria on Tuesday, a source in the Russian Navy told Reuters, and another military source was quoted […]

[Despite the fact that Jamestown Foundation is a Brzezinski-related think tank, I posted the following for the info contained about Russian basing rights, especially that on the Russian 201st Motorized Rifle Div.  Russia and Tajikistan recently settled basing issues (SEE: Russia gets base deal, strengthens Central Asia influence ).]  Russia Seeks Long-Term Military Presence In Tajikistan […]

[The majority of people in Crimea, an autonomous region of the Ukraine, are Russian.] EU Signs Development Deal With Ukraine’s Crimea May 14, 2011 BRUSSELS — The European Commission and Ukraine’s Republic of Crimea have signed a deal to boost development and improve services in the region. On May 13, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele […]

Russian Pesident Dmitry Medvedev: Russia’s Black Sea fleet will not attack neighbours Russia woos Ukraine on security bloc Today at 15:18 | Reuters Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Ukraine on Tuesday that the doors to a Russia-led security bloc were always open and pledged that the Russian navy based in a Ukrainian port would never […]

Turkey and Russia assemble an ‘axis of outsiders’ Adrian Pabst It was one of the most memorable parliamentary brawls of recent times. Members of Ukraine’s Supreme Council threw punches, eggs and smoke bombs, while the speaker was shielded with an umbrella. Last week’s turmoil erupted when lawmakers were considering whether to endorse an agreement that […]

Militarily Defining Post-Soviet Space Former secret Soviet submarine base in Balaclava. Governments with foreign military bases tend to shy away from publicity about their colonial outposts, and recent events in the post-Soviet space shine an unwelcome spotlight on US and Russian military establishments, John CK Daly writes for ISN Security Watch. By John CK Daly […]

‘Madness’ to hold Olympics near Chechnya News.Az interviews Eldar Zeynalov, director of the Azerbaijani Human Rights Centre. This region is plagued with instability; there has been tension in the North Caucasus, including terrorist attacks and murders of high ranking state officials over the past 20 years. Three conflicts – Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia and Abkhazia – […]

Parliamentary chaos as Ukraine ratifies fleet deal more about “Video of smoke bomb egg fight in Ukra…“, posted with vodpod Ukrainian opposition MPs shower parliament speaker with eggs Chaos has erupted in the Ukrainian parliament during a debate over the extension of the lease on a Russian naval base in Ukraine. The chamber’s speaker had […]

Russian envoy to Ukraine hails naval base deal © RIA Novosti. Alexei Fedoseev Russia’s Black Sea Fleet The deal extending Russia’s use of a naval base in Ukraine’s Crimea is economically beneficial for both Moscow and Kiev, the Russian ambassador to Ukraine said on Friday. The agreement, signed on Wednesday by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and […]

Black Sea lighthouse stirs Russia-Ukraine tension By Dmitry Solovyov MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia accused Kiev of attempting to seize property belonging to its Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine on Thursday, in a sign of escalating tension between the two ex-Soviet neighbors. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet said it had barred Ukrainian court bailiffs as they tried […]