Two Russian navy ships are completing preparations to sail to Syria with a unit of marines on a mission to protect Russian citizens and the nation's base there, a news report said Monday. The deployment appears to reflect Moscow's growing concern about Syrian President Bashar Assad's future.
The Interfax news agency quoted an unidentified Russian navy official as saying that the two amphibious landing vessels, Nikolai Filchenkov and Caesar Kunikov, will be heading shortly to the Syrian port of Tartus, but didn't give a precise date.
The official said the ships will carry an unspecified number of marines to protect Russians in Syria and evacuate some equipment from Tartus, if necessary.
Each ship is capable of carrying up to 300 marines and a dozen tanks, according to Russian media reports. That would make it the largest known Russian troop deployment to Syria, signaling that Moscow is becoming increasingly uneasy about Syria's slide toward civil war.
Interfax also quoted a deputy Russian air force chief as saying that Russia will give the necessary protection to its citizens in Syria.
"We must protect our citizens," Maj.-Gen. Vladimir Gradusov was quoted as saying. "We won't abandon the Russians and will evacuate them from the conflict zone, if necessary."
Asked whether the air force would provide air support for the navy squadron, Gradusov said they will act on orders.
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90,000 personnel, 900 tanks, and 400 aircraft from Russia, China and Iran in Syria, likely by the end of this month, which seems hard to believe, if Debka is reporting correctly. It might be a long, hot summer.
ReplyDelete90,000 personnel, 900 tanks, and 400 aircraft from Russia, China and Iran in Syria, likely by the end of this month, which seems hard to believe, if Debka is reporting correctly. It might be a long, hot summer.
ReplyDeleteObama has been stalemated, unless he really is stupid.
ReplyDeleteIt will be bad for whoever blinks.
ReplyDeleteIt will be bad for everyone if nobody blinks.
Well said.
Delete