Is Russia disengaging from Syria? Arms shipments stopped, warships exit Tartus
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Source: debkafile
Russian naval vessels have unexpectedly departed the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartus and Russian arms shipments to Syria have been suddenly discontinued. debkafile’s military sources reveal that those and other steps indicate that the Russians are rapidly drawing away from the Syrian arena to avoid getting caught up in the escalating hostilities expected to arise from military intervention by the US, Europe and a number of Arab states. Russian intelligence appears to have decided that this outside intervention is imminent and Moscow looks anxious to keep its distance for now.
According to our military and Russian sources, these drastic steps must have been personally ordered by President Vladimir Putin. He is believed to have acted over the objections of some of his army and naval chiefs. This would explain the mixed statements issuing from Moscow in recent days about the disposition of Russian personnel at the naval base in Tartus and Russian military personnel in Syria.
The only Russian naval ship left in Tartus - a floating Russian Navy PM-138 shipyard – is also under orders to depart Tartus and return to the Black Sea in September.
A Russian source disclosed that all the remaining Russian personnel in Tartus have gathered on the floating shipyard, except for two officers on shore. This vessel and the remaining personnel are evidently packed up and ready to sail at any moment out of the Syrian port
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agentS
(1,325 posts)Assad didn't listen to the Arab League, he didn't listen to the West, or Iran. Or Russia it seems.
Now it looks like Russia knows Assad's blown it and they're not sticking around to be targeted by vengeful FSA rebels.
Alamuti Lotus
(3,093 posts)slightly less grounded in reality than the Weekly World News.
On the Road
(20,783 posts)Thanks for pointing that out. The world would be a very strange place if even a tenth of their scoops turned out to be true.
Lurks Often
(5,455 posts)However Debka doesn't have the best reputation in the world for reliable reporting.
Grins
(7,320 posts)If Syrian "government" does fall, Obama should beat the hell out of Republicans over it.
Smilo
(1,945 posts)then I read the comments and when scouring the internet...... I found this at the Moscow Times, so sadly I don't think Russia is going to pull out of Syria anytime soon.
Syria Again Says Oil Deal With Kremlin Near Completion
23 August 2012
Reuters
Syria is preparing to complete a deal with the Kremlin to secure much-needed oil products to keep its economy and military running, the head of a Syrian delegation to Moscow said, weeks after he said an agreement had been reached.
"It was an agreement in principle reached during our last visit," Syrian Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Qadri Jamil said at a news conference Tuesday.
On Aug. 3 Jamil told reporters that an agreement had been reached for Syria to export crude to Russia in exchange for refined oil products.
Two separate Syrian delegations have visited Moscow this month in order to bargain for crucial economic aid, including a loan, though Jamil said it was too early to go into the details of any such loan.
Russia has remained silent on the issue of an oil-for-oil-products swap deal, which could raise questions on the extent to which it might extend help to Assad's government.
Syria's traditional suppliers have pulled out, leading to shortages in gasoline, diesel and oil fuels, some of which are used to run Syrian tanks.
The Wall Street Journal earlier this month reported that Syria had plans to use Russian banks as part of a scheme to get around Western sanctions on oil and financial transactions.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/syria-again-says-oil-deal-with-kremlin-near-completion/466992.html
Sand Wind
(1,573 posts)just before a no-fly zone was impose. A little search on google found this:
http://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/qaddafi-offers-russia-china-and-india-a-stake-in-libyan-oil-industry
Now we can see that the rebel blow up a lot of fuel supply convoy.
LeftishBrit
(41,237 posts)
MIDNITERIDER1438
(113 posts)Sorry to bust your bubble, but this movement is most likely pre-planned and part of an exercise. Not only that, but the port is poorly maintained due to a highly corrupt regime that mooring many ships there would not be as feasible as one might think:
"On 10 July 2012 it was reported that warships from three Russian fleets had left their home ports for exercises in the Mediterranean Sea. The ships from the Northern, Baltic, and Black Sea fleets were all to make calls at the Russian naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus. The Soviet-era facility is operated under a 1971 agreement by Russian personnel. Since 1992 the port has been in disrepair, with only one of its three floating piers operational. The Navy maintenance site near Tartus is the only Russian foothold in the Mediterranean. Russian navy commanders have long been calling for the expansion and modernization of the Tartus base."
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/syria/tartous.htm
With regards to the cargo traffic, other Syrian ports are also used for Russian weapons and other cargo as you will see in the above article.
"Chirkov said on Monday Russia has no plans to abandon its naval base in Tartus.
The Russian Navy needs the base to provide maintenance and technical support to Russian warships in the Mediterranean, as well as those on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, he said."
"Black Sea Fleet commander Rear Admiral Alexander Fedosenkov said on Thursday Russian warships in the Mediterranean are preparing for naval drills due in September, and are not carrying out any military tasks in Syria."
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/russia/2012/russia-120728-rianovosti01.htm
http://serpline.blogspot.com/2012/07/syrian-crisis-unpredictability.html
