Russian Warships to Again Patrol Arctic

[sabra]

Source: Military.com/AP

MOSCOW - Russia announced Monday that it is sending warships to patrol Arctic waters for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union - the latest move to increase the country's global military presence.

Patrols by the Northern Fleet's Severomorsk submarine destroyer and Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser will begin Thursday, Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said.

Russia began sending aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean Sea in December and resumed long-range bomber patrols in August.

"We have been talking for a long time about widening our activity in the Arctic," Dygalo said. "There is nothing aggressive in it - it is in the interests of security."

Read more: http://www.military.com/news/article/russian-warships-to-again-patrol-arctic.html?ESRC=topstories.RSS

[Captain Hilts]

1. High oil revenues have given them the cash to make this possible again.

Ustinov actually came to the Norfolk Naval Base for a visit and I got a chance to walk around on it.

[David__77]

2. Probably a good thing.

It's important for their to be strategic balances to contribute to international stability.

[lovuian]

3. They are going to test our defenses and they have found them

filled with holes

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CWP-d8DWM4c

[tuckessee]

4. Are they allowed to do that?

I thought the whole world became property of the Good Ol' US of A after we whooped them commies in the Cold War?

[ohio2007]

5. Navy sent to Norway to protect Russian fishermen

from a Russian news site;

July 14, 2008, 21:43

The Navy has a sent an anti-submarine ship to northern Norway to protect Russian fishing fleets from potential harassment.

The Severmorsk is already patrolling the waters around Svalbard while the rocket cruiser Marshall Ustinov is scheduled to arrive in the region on July 17.

The Svalbard region – the northernmost part of Norway - has special status. Both Russia and Norway are entitled to operate in the archipelago. Russia has its own settlement there – Barentsburg – and extracts coal as well as having fishing interests.

The decision to re-establish a navy presence near Svalbard is a reaction to a move by Oslo to name the archipelago as an exclusively Norwegian economic zone, thereby prohibiting Russian fishermen from working there.

The Russian fleet operates in the Arctic on a regular basis in strict accordance with international law.


http://russiatoday.com/news/news/27492

BUT

Actually, they are up there participating in a scheduled exercise.

Russian warship arrives in Norway for Northern Eagle 2008 exercise

MOSCOW, July 17 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian ASW ship, the Severomorsk, arrived on Thursday in Norway's main naval base of Haakonsvern on its way to participate in a joint U.S.-Russian naval exercise in the Barents Sea, a Navy spokesman said.

Northern Eagle 2008 is an annual naval exercise involving U.S. and Russian anti-submarine warfare ships. The ships practice maritime interdiction operations and search and rescue maneuvers. This year the exercise will also include two coast guard ships from the Norwegian navy.

"The Severomorsk ASW ship has accomplished its patrol mission in the Arctic and will participate in the Northern Eagle joint annual exercise with the U.S. navy," Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said.

The U.S. Navy is represented by the guided-missile frigate USS Elrod, and a P-3 Orion aircraft, originally designed for anti-submarine warfare, but also used for search and rescue missions.

The active stage of the exercise will be held in the Barents Sea on July 21-25.

Later on Thursday, the Marshal Ustinov, a Russian Slava-class missile cruiser, will take over patrols in the area around the Arctic Ocean archipelago of Spitsbergen, which belongs to Norway.

Russia said on July 14 the Russian Navy had resumed a military presence around the Arctic Ocean, including the area of Spitsbergen.



http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080717/114226210.html

Guess they've sold enough oil to Europe to keep their fleets active before the winter ice locks them in for another winter.



http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20080204/98302515.html


http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20080716/114109195.html

[amandabeech]

6. This also has to do with Russia's claim to a larger part of the Artic floor

and possible oil and gas deposits.

Our friends in the Great White North are furious, but not furious enough to start building themselves a navy.

My Canadian roommate thinks that the U.S. should police the world so that the Canadians won't have to do anything. I told her that the Canadians are going to have to ante up, because we're not going to be able to afford to keep the Russians off their sorry asses up North.

[Canuckistanian]

7. Your Canadian roommate is nuts

Us realists know that the US is neither willing nor able to practically patrol the northern frontiers of our country for us.

And apparently, she knows nothing of our recent aggressive efforts to assert our sovereignty over our northern frontiers.

And anyways, these territory disputes are NEVER decided because ONE COUNTRY sends in a bunch of military ships and "claims" land for their own use.

This isn't the 17th century and planting a flag in some desolate area means NOTHING in terms of international law.

It's always done by multi-lateral talks in dreary meeting rooms in the UN or Europe.

And you can tell her I said that.

[amandabeech]

8. Thanks. She is nuts. She refuses to use the AC in DC in the summer.

Landlord is upset with the mold problem.

I'll throw her out myself if she doesn't quit turning off the AC in the middle of the night.

She doesn't think of herself as Canadian, anyway. She just thinks about herself.