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December 17, 2008
Russian Warships Head For Cuba
Russian warships head for Cuba
December 16, 2008
Russia said on Monday it was sending a group of warships to Soviet-era ally Cuba in its latest defiant naval move around US waters, part of a drive to revive old Cold War ties with Latin America.
The warships will visit Havana on December 19-23, the navy said, continuing a tour that has already taken in US foes Venezuela and Nicaragua and seen the ships pass through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II.
"This will be the first visit to Cuba by Russian warships since the Soviet era," the Russian naval headquarters said in a statement.
The destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and two other ships already held exercises with Venezuela's navy in the Caribbean Sea last month.
The naval manoeuvres close to US waters are seen as a riposte to Washington's own moves in Russia's Soviet-era sphere of influence, including in the Black Sea.
US officials have said they see no military threat from Russia's naval manoeuvres but continue to keep a close eye on the situation.
The naval visit to Cuba, scene of a dramatic 1962 stand-off between Moscow and Washington over nuclear missiles, comes as tensions over US missile defence plans in eastern Europe have prompted talk of a renewed Cold War among some analysts.
Last month Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made a tour of Latin America where he visited Cuba and Venezuela and met former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, part of efforts to revive what he called "privileged relations" from Soviet times.
Last week he also received Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner, another Latin American critic of the United States.
Nicaragua's leftist President Daniel Ortega is to visit Moscow on Thursday, after he risked Washington's wrath this summer by following Russia in recognizing two Moscow-backed rebel regions of Georgia as independent.
The Russian moves in Central and Latin America follow heightened tensions over Russia's military onslaught in Georgia, a close US ally.
Russia strongly objected to US naval deployments off Georgia's Black Sea coast, accusing the United States of covertly rearming Georgia, a charge Washington denied.
On Monday the Russian navy avoided direct reference to the United States, saying that visits to Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela signified "long-term prospects for developing cooperation among these countries' navies in the interest of building stability and trust on the world's oceans."
During the Cuba visit, residents will be welcomed aboard the Russian ships and Russian officers will lay flowers at a memorial to Cuban campaigner for independence and critic of US expansionism Jose Marti, the navy said.
Last week the navy said it was sending ships from its Pacific Fleet to join ships from the Northern Fleet for exercises with India's navy and in parallel would continue anti-piracy operations off Somalia.
Despite the growing Russian assertiveness, defence experts have said Russia's navy remains severely weakened following years of post-Soviet neglect.
That impression was reinforced by the inadvertent fatal poisoning last month of 20 people aboard a Russian nuclear-powered submarine that was undergoing tests off the Pacific coast.
Wild Thing's comment..........
Well I am glad our Navy is not worried about this. But just in case I think I might just be a little concerned about the attitude of Russia this last year. I really think Putin misses his KGB and all the Soviet Union of the past.
.....Thank you Lynn for sending this to me.
Posted by Wild Thing at December 17, 2008 04:44 AM
Comments
These dirtbags just feed off one another. Maybe they are gearing up for Obama's test Biden yapped about. Them and every other group that hates us around the world and wants to destroy us, seeing how weak our new President will be.
Stuff like this makes me appreciate being in the middle of nowhere in a fly over state.
Posted by: Eden at December 17, 2008 08:21 AM
I wonder if the Russian warships saluted James Earl Carter as they traversed the Panama Canal. That Canal giveaway by Carter is one of the blackest marks in American history.
Posted by: TomR at December 17, 2008 12:01 PM
Eden, yes your in a safe area. If Russia did want to do something from being near Cuba, they could take out Washington from there, I think. Not sure, I am too good at how far their reach would be.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 17, 2008 02:41 PM
Tom, good one, yes Carter probably waved a big ole friendly hi at them.
I will never forgive Cater for what he did with the Panam Canal. Never ever.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 17, 2008 02:42 PM
Hell, I'm actually looking forward to Carters death. The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned.
Posted by: cuchieddie at December 17, 2008 03:33 PM
The Russian Navy is in 'Cuber' and Hanoi John is in (Soviet) Georgia, maybe we can work out a deal with the ole Soviets. Get out of Cuber and they can have Kerry. ...Naw, nobody's that stupid not even Pukin.
Posted by: Mark at December 17, 2008 05:25 PM
They like to compare b.o. to Lincoln, JFK, and FDR; but they all stood up to the crisis that they faced. Lincoln: Civil War; FDR: WWII; JFK: The Cuban Missile Crisis. Carter tried to talk in the Iran Hostage Crisis and it was a disater. B.o. is more like carter. But out of the disaster that was carter came Ronald Reagan. Reagan cleaned up carter's mess and the crisis that he brought down was the Soviet Union and the Cold War. He does not have the &@!!$ to make a fist much less confront a sworn enemy. In time people will see the mistakes of electing a stalinist anti-capitalist anti-military fascist pinhed. AMERICANS have NEVER and will NEVER obey a kaiser.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at December 17, 2008 05:44 PM
Come now Comrade Babouschka Wild Thing... Russia know a PAPER TIGER when it sees one, da? - Father Frost 2009
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at December 17, 2008 05:46 PM
cuchieddie, me too, I will have a glass of champaign that day.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 17, 2008 07:11 PM
Mark, I wish Putin was that stupid. hahaahaa Maybe we can use some of the bailout money to pay Putin to keep him.
Good one Mark.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 17, 2008 07:16 PM
JohnE PFC U.S. Army, thanks for the run down like that of each of them. I agree we Americans will never stand for a kaiser, no way. It goes against all I am, it's in my DNA. giggle But seriously when the others, the ones that voted for him figure out it is not a rose garden I think some of them might even wake up. Not right away but one day.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 17, 2008 07:25 PM
Darth, da, they sure do. Too bad some in the USA do not.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 17, 2008 07:28 PM
