Translated material
Atlantic Alliance
Warships of Russia and Venezuela will conduct joint exercises
Russia appears to have succeeded in forming its own North Atlantic Alliance - an alliance of its Northern Fleet with the Venezuelan navy for a joint expedition to the Atlantic Ocean. There have been no Russian warships there since the Cold War. The joint exercises will take place against the backdrop of a sharp deterioration in relations between Russia and the West, as well as in the face of Russian criticism of the presence of NATO warships in the Black Sea.A detachment of warships of the Russian Navy will make a long voyage to the Atlantic, Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Captain First Rank Igor Dygalo, said on Monday. “In accordance with the preparation plan, in November 2008, in order to expand military cooperation with the fleets of foreign countries, a detachment of warships of the Northern Fleet, consisting of the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great and escort ships, will sail to the Atlantic,” said Caperang Dygalo. According to him, as part of the campaign, Russian warships will conduct joint exercises with ships of the Venezuelan Navy . “Deck-based aviation of the detachment’s ships will also take part in the exercises. During the voyage, the ships will practice a number of joint tasks, including joint maneuvering, search and rescue at sea, and will also conduct communications training,” said a Navy representative.
According to Igor Dygalo, the exercises were purely planned and were conceived before the sharp aggravation of the situation in the Caucasus in August. “The fundamental decision to conduct exercises between the Russian Navy and the Venezuelan Navy was made during a meeting between the presidents of the Russian Federation and Venezuela in July of this year,” explained a representative of the Navy. In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday also drew attention to the fact that the agreement to conduct joint exercises with Venezuela was reached long before the escalation of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict. According to official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andrei Nesterenko, this is a planned event that has nothing to do with the situation in the Caucasus. “The exercises will not be directed against any third country,” Mr. Nesterenko clarified peacefully.
Earlier, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reported that his country would hold joint naval exercises with Russia in the Caribbean Sea in late November - early December.
By the end of the year, as part of a long-distance refueling voyage, Navy ships will enter Venezuelan territory, in particular the missile cruiser Peter the Great, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Chabanenko and a large sea tanker. In addition, according to Mr. Nesterenko, it is planned to temporarily base anti-submarine aircraft of the Russian Navy at one of the airfields in Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, speaking on his weekly Sunday television program “Hello, President,” outlined the timing of joint exercises with the Russian fleet: November 2008. (Previously, with reference to anonymous sources, the dates were given from November 10 to 14.) Mr. Chavez also admitted that during his recent visit to Moscow, the issue of joint patrols in international waters was discussed with the Russian leadership. According to Mr. Chavez, Venezuela is a strategic ally of Russia and will do everything possible to ensure that the exercises are held at a high level.
In a classic counter-propaganda rationale for the two countries' warships sailing into the Atlantic, Mr. Chavez said the upcoming maneuvers were no different from the joint Southern Cross exercise planned for November 2-14, in which warships from the Netherlands, France and Brazil.
From the Venezuelan side, missile frigates, patrol boats, submarines and aircraft will be involved in the exercises. On the Russian side, up to 1 thousand military personnel are expected to participate in the four ships.