Russia Upset: Germany, Spain, Poland, US Flooding Black Sea With Warships
Warships hit the Black Sea
Agencie France Presse:
A top Russian general accused NATO on Saturday of using humanitarian aid deliveries to Georgia as “cover” for a build-up of naval forces in the Black Sea.
“Under the cover of needing to deliver humanitarian goods, NATO countries continue to boost their naval grouping,” Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of general staff, told a news conference in Moscow.
“In addition to the Spanish and German frigates that entered the Black Sea basin on August 21, yesterday a Polish frigate and a destroyer of the US navy passed the Bosphorous,” he said.
“I don’t think that this will help stabilise the situation in the region.”
NATO says it is holding long-planned exercises, involving US, German, Spanish and Polish vessels, in the Black Sea and that this is not linked to the conflict in Georgia.
The exercises, which will include visits in Bulgaria and Romania, began on Thursday and are due to end on September 10.
A US frigate is due to join in the exercises later this week, a NATO spokeswoman said.
In addition, the US navy is sending several ships, led by the destroyer USS McFaul, to Georgia with what the Pentagon says are deliveries of humanitarian aid.
Russia on Friday said it had withdrawn most troops from inside Georgia to two Russian-controlled separatist regions in the north of the country.
However, Western capitals and Georgia say Russia is violating a peace accord by keeping some troops deployed in strategic areas.
earlier related report
West piles pressure on Russia for full Georgia withdrawal
The West on Sunday ratcheted up pressure on Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia, with the EU announcing a crisis summit as a US warship arrived at a Georgian port.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, had served notice he was ready to convene a special summit if Russia failed to pull back its troops from Georgia.
European leaders are to meet in Brussels on September 1 to discuss the future of EU relations with Russia and aid to Georgia, a statement from Sarkozy’s office said.
A US Navy destroyer carrying relief supplies arrived at a Black Sea port in Georgia in a sign of US support for its ally that provided a conspicuous display of NATO military might.
The USS McFaul dropped anchor off Batumi, 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of the Russian-occupied port of Poti, the first of three ships carrying aid to help Georgia deal with an estimated 100,000 displaced people.
A top Russian general on Saturday accused NATO countries of using humanitarian aid as “cover” for a build-up of naval forces in the Black Sea, heightening tension in the aftermath of the conflict.
A US coastguard ship passed through the Turkish straits on Sunday en route for Georgia while the USS Mount Whitney, the flagship of the US Mediterranean Sixth Fleet was to set sail for the Black Sea at the end of the month.
Russia withdrew tanks, artillery and hundreds of troops from their most advanced positions in Georgia on Friday, saying it had fulfilled all obligations under a French-brokered peace agreement.
But Russian troops still control access to Poti, south of the Moscow-backed rebel region of Abkhazia, and have established other checkpoints around South Ossetia, where the conflict began.
The six-point peace plan negotiated by France has been interpreted differently by Russia and the West, with Russia claiming it has the right to leave peacekeepers deep inside Georgia in a buffer zone.
France, Britain, the United States, NATO and other Western powers have demanded Russia pull back further.
In further fallout from the conflict, a train carrying fuel from Azerbaijan exploded just west of Gori in central Georgia, creating a noxious cloud of black smoke visible from kilometres away.
Georgia’s interior ministry said the explosion on the rail track, a vital east-west link across Georgia, was the result of a mine laid by retreating Russian troops. No casualties were reported.
Acting as head of the European Union, Sarkozy had telephoned his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday and asked him to withdraw his forces from a road linking Poti to Senaki in western Georgia.
“No withdrawal has been mentioned today. The Russians are keeping all their previous illegal checkpoints,” Georgian National Security Council secretary Alexander Lomaia told AFP.
An AFP reporter saw Russian troops holding at least six positions in an 80-kilometre area around Poti on Sunday.
Lomaia said Russian forces were also maintaining eight positions around the separatist region of South Ossetia in central Georgia, including one a few kilometres from Gori on the main road into the region.
Russian troops poured into Georgia on August 8 to repel a Georgian attempt to regain control of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, which is backed by Moscow.
After smashing Georgia’s small US-trained army in South Ossetia, Russian troops then fanned out through Abkhazia, another pro-Moscow breakaway region in the west, and pushed far into Georgian territory.
Moscow retains full control of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and says it has the right to establish a buffer zone beyond taking in stretches of the main east-west highway linking Tbilisi to Poti.
The speedy military victory over Georgia, which is pressing for membership of NATO, stunned Western powers and plunged relations between Russia and the West to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
Analysts see Georgia’s pro-Western path and determination to join NATO as key issues in the conflict, with Russia angered by the prospect of another neighbouring country being part of the Western military alliance.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko called for stronger efforts for his country to join NATO on Sunday, saying Ukraine shares Georgia’s “pain” in its conflict with Russia.
Some parts of Georgia were flickering back to life, with the previously deserted streets of Gori bustling with traffic.
“People are coming back bit by bit,” said Gori resident Tariel Japaridze, who stayed in the city throughout its bombardment.
“But we are still scared. How can we be sure there is not going to be another war? The Russian troops have only gone back 10 kilometres outside the city,” he said.
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Gives new meaning to “Fleet Week” …
HEH!
August 25th, 2008 at 4:04 pm“A top Russian general accused NATO on Saturday of using humanitarian aid deliveries to Georgia as “cover” for a build-up of naval forces in the Black Sea.” A sign of fear?
August 25th, 2008 at 4:08 pmI wonder how much fire power that is compared to the Russian fleet.
What they should do is go and dock, in that port the Russians blew up. And then raise those ships that were sunk.
LOL@ Fleet Week
Whats wrong Russia? Not ready for a little “Global Warming” in your neck of the woods?
August 25th, 2008 at 4:08 pmHope they have plenty for all ocasions …
August 25th, 2008 at 4:10 pmGood call Anatoly,
August 25th, 2008 at 4:13 pmguess that’s why your the General Chief of what ever the fuk—-oh yea-the general staff—
another ribbon for your long coat at the great parade komrad.
Nice to see a Rooskie on top of his game—
The Russians started this mess by a surprise attack on Georgia while Bush was in China. Putin fooled Bush once but will not again. This time his puppet Medvedev is trying to act in charge by pushing independence for the two Georgia separatists states as if Georgia is not even in the room. Putin is the real bully here. I believe this is only a preview of what he has planned.
Now Russia has opened the door for aid and military support to pour in from the EU, NATO, and the US. This will teach the Russians that acting like gangsters in a mafia movie only works in the movies.
Cool heads will prevail and our President will lead Georgia out of this mess and put Russia in its place at the same time.
If Russia thinks we are going to back down from the Iranians because of this Georgia BS, they better think again. At least now we know Russia’s intentions in the UN security council never were on the US side. Now we don’t have to listen to their shit. We should teach Putin a lesson.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:17 pmNo “Security Zone”. No “Buffer Zone”. Fuck Putin.
Sarkozy has to (and has) admit he’s been bamboozled and Russia has to go back to the Auguat 6th lines. You cannot give these pricks an inch (although, those pricks might need an inch).
August 25th, 2008 at 4:18 pmHey, Anatoly…..how’s it feel to have a million tons of warships getting ready to run it up your ass?
August 25th, 2008 at 4:29 pmIf you don’t like it, GET THE FUK OUT OF GEORGIA. What a Douche.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:02 pmMmmmmmm, ah, FUCK Russia!
August 25th, 2008 at 6:28 pmPutin doesn’t want to piss off Sarkozy! Oh yeah or GW!!!
August 25th, 2008 at 7:44 pmnow all the whole russian domain of the internet is buzzing about the “cruel western plan to steal the Caucasus from russinas” …you damn right! those fuckin pussies about to start crying that they dont play those kind of games and gonna run to their momma … i read somewhere a good description of todays russia - Putin wants to rule like Stalin and live like Abramovich (the richest russian oligarch) no matter of the shit Stalin did, he was one smart mothefucker, even though Churchill hated his ass he admired Stalin for that ..but on the real side - fuck stalin and a wannabe mini-me-putin …in weeks ahead i sence the “game over” for the russians, they never expected NATO to stand up for Georgia, and its funny they are saying the NATO build up in the Black Sea, are they forgetting that Turkey is a NATO country as well and has twise as many warships in the region than russians do???…lets see how the situation will develop
August 25th, 2008 at 9:24 pmI say send Russia a couple crates of pacifiers and diapers and call it even.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:34 pm“In addition to the Spanish and German frigates that entered the Black Sea basin on August 21, yesterday a Polish frigate and a destroyer of the US navy passed the Bosphorous,” he said.
Hallelujah.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:17 pmWell ain’t that a shame. since when is stablization a concern for Russia? What he meant to say is “I don’t think that this will help us keep our gains in the region…”
August 26th, 2008 at 6:03 am