TACTICAL UPDATE + MAPS + Lots of INFO: Standoff in the Mediterranean, US vs RUSSIAN Navies & more...
Putin just said that Russia will back Syria if attacked by external forces.
Following a supposedly "warm" 20-30 minute conversation this morning with President Obama, Russian President Putin has rattled the sabre one more time:
PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA TO ASSIST SYRIA IN CASE OF EXTERNAL ATTACK
This will not end well...
One can likely cross from Cyprus to Syria by stepping on ship hulls and not getting wet.
While the leaders of the two superpowers are shaking hands for the camera in St. Petersburg, their navies are sending a different message. Here is the latest breakdown of the world's key navies in the Mediterranean theater of naval operations as of last night. By now it is likely woefully outdated, now that there are reports the Chinese have joined the fray too (not on the side of the 'free droning world').
By now even a 5 year old gets what is going on and that Russia will simply not back down.
From Reuters:
Russia is sending the naval landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov to the eastern Mediterranean, state news agency Interfax said on Friday, reinforcing its presence near Syria.
Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, says its vessels in the eastern Mediterranean guarantee security as the United States considers launching military strikes to punish Damascus for its alleged use of chemical weapons.
"The vessel will dock in Novorossiysk where it will take special cargo on board and head to the designated area of military service in the eastern Mediterranean," Interfax quoted an unnamed navy source as saying.
This is the third naval "landing" ship Russia has sent to Syria, following the previously reported dispatch of the Novocherkassk (150 marines on board) and Minsk (225 marines). According to the website of the Russian Black Sea fleet, the Filchenkov can carry 300 troops + 1,700 tons including about 20 tanks and various trucks or 40 AFV's.
Russia’s Aircraft Carrier To Visit Syrian Naval Base
Russia’s only aircraft carrier will visit Moscow’s small naval base in Syria later this year, BBC Monitoring reported citing a newspaper published by the Russian government.
"The Project 11435 heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser the Admiral Kuznetsov will set off on a long-distance sea voyage during which it will call at the Russian Federation Navy's logistical support centre located in the Syrian city of Tartus,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement, BBC Monitoring reported on Saturday, citing a Russian-language report in Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a newspaper run by the Russian government.
And here is the Syrian Tactical Missile Capabilities
Advanced Russian K-300P Bastion-P
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-300P_Bastion-P
Old Shahab-2 from Iran
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahab-2
Advanced Russian Iskander-M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9K720_Iskander
Obama, I wish you good luck...
