The Russian Defense Ministry is preparing to send
warships to the Arabian Sea, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper
reports.
According to it, Russian ships will arrive to the Arabian Sea
in late April. The official aim of the campaign is to carry out
military and naval military exercises there, “according to an
agreement with India”. However, it seems that this explanation
does not reveal the true goals of the campaign. Russian Defense
Minister Sergei Ivanov has said recently that the timeframe of the
campaign would depend on the situation in Iraq.
According to the newspaper, two scenarios are possible. The
first one envisages the occupation of an important onshore
facility by marines. Quoting an army general, the Nezavisimaya
Gazeta reports that it might be the oil terminals of Umm Qasr.
This action, resembling a quick seizure of Pristina at the end of
the Yugoslavian war, might affect the alignment of forces in the
post-war Iraq. However, the battle group is not enough strong for
this purpose. It will have only one landing ship capable of
carrying 150 marines and 10 tanks.
The second scenario envisages a “battle” with an enemy air
force. Speaking in Munich in February 2003, Russian Defense
Minister Sergei Ivanov said that the battle group would comprise
“about ten warships, including submarines and large landing
ships”.
In the light of new information, it becomes clear that there
will be at least three nuclear submarines in the battle group. It
will be like an iceberg, with the main firepower hidden
underwater.
According to the newspaper, the ships of the Black Sea battle
group, comprised of the Moscow cruiser, the large landing ship
Caesar Kunikov and two frigates, will leave the Black Sea post of
Sebastopol in five or seven days. Ten to twelve days later, the
ships will arrive to the war zone. In early May, another three
warships of the Pacific Fleet will join them.
Thus, the Russian Defense Ministry expects that the situation
in the Middle East will change dramatically by late April, which
might require interference from Russia, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta
concludes.
The Russian Defense Ministry is preparing to send
warships to the Arabian Sea, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper
reports.
