Russia to bolster Black Sea Fleet “in the face of US threat”
Black Sea Fleet: Moskva missile cruiser returns to Sevastopol after operation in Georgia, Aug 2008
Russia should strengthen combat potential of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in order to cope with the new anti-missile defence plan, unveiled by the United States, former Russian Navy Chief of Staff Adm Viktor Kravchenko has said in an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax.
Kravchenko said “when the SM-3 US interceptor missiles are deployed on combat duty in Romania and in the Black Sea region, the balance of power in the area changes dramatically, undermining Russia’s interests.”
“US assurances that missile defence facilities in southern Europe do not threaten Russia’s interests were hypocritical at the least,” the admiral said.
“Under such circumstances, [Russia] should not only stop the reduction of the military infrastructure of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, but to revise its tasks, bolster its combat potential and build up its naval force as well,” he added.
On 4 February, Romania agreed to the US plan to deploy new missile defence system on its territory, Interfax said.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet is based in Crimea, Ukraine, until 2017. Ukraine leases naval bases in Sevastopol and Feodosiya, firing ranges near Kerch and other facilities in Crimea to Russia as a pay-off for the 1990s gas debt. Some Russian Black Sea Fleet units are based at Novorossiysk, Russia.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Envoy in NATO Dmitriy Rogozin has said that the US move will not negatively affect the current US-Russian negotiations on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
However, Rogozin added, Russia wants to obtain “comprehensive information” from the US on technical characteristics of missile defence systems, planned to be deployed in Romania. Rogozin said that it was necessary “to make sure that these systems will not be capable of intercepting heavy ballistic missiles, currently used by Russia,” the Flot-2017 web site reported, quoting Ekho Moskvy.
Sources: Moscow-based independent radio Ekho Moskvy (echo.msk.ru), in Russian, 0934 gmt 5 Feb 10; Flot-2017 website, Sevastopol, in Russian, 1445 gmt
US says Romanian missile shield plan not aimed at Russia (2010.02.04)
Romanian defense body approves US missile plan, angers Russia (2010.02.04)
Romania to host US missile interceptors as part of “shield” plan (2010.02.04)
Wikipedia on the Russian Black Sea Fleet
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