Russia challenges western hegemony

Between Russia resuming submarine patrols and sending an aircraft carrier to the Mediteranean, and Iran's missiles, there is now a counterweight to US-NATO-Israel hegemony in the Middle East

Russia to send nuclear submarines to southern seas

Russia plans to resume nuclear submarine patrols in the southern seas after a hiatus of more than 20 years following the break-up of the Soviet Union, Itar-Tass news agency reported on Saturday, in another example of efforts to revive Moscow's military.

Reuters,

1 June, 2013

The plan to send Borei-class submarines, designed to carry 16 long-range nuclear missiles, to the southern hemisphere follows President Vladimir Putin's decision in March to deploy a naval unit in the Mediterranean Sea on a permanent basis starting this year.

"The revival of nuclear submarine patrols will allow us to fulfill the tasks of strategic deterrence not only across the North Pole but also the South Pole," state-run Itar-Tass cited an unnamed official in the military General Staff as saying.

The official said the patrols would be phased in over several years. The Yuri Dolgoruky, the first of eight Borei-class submarines that Russia hopes to launch by 2020, entered service this year.

Putin has stressed the importance of a strong and agile military since returning to the presidency last May. In 13 years in power, he has often cited external threats when talking of the need for a reliable armed forces and Russian political unity.

Fears of a nuclear confrontation between Russia and the United States has eased in recent years, and the Cold War-era foes signed a landmark treaty in 2010 setting lower limits on the size of their long-range nuclear arsenals.

But the limited numbers of warheads and delivery vehicles such as submarines that they committed to under the New START treaty are still enough to devastate the world. Putin has made clear Russia will continue to upgrade its arsenal.

Russia's land-launched Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) would fly over the northern part of the globe, as would those fired from submarines in the northern hemisphere.

Both the Borei-class submarines and the Bulava ballistic missiles they carry were designed in the 1990s, when the science and defense industries were severely underfunded.

Russia sees the Bulava as the backbone of its future nuclear deterrence, but the program has been set back by several botched launches over the past few years.

“No wonder Syria's ruler shows no sign of backing down.”

Russia Is Upping The Ante By Sending Its Only Aircraft Carrier To The Mediterranean

The Kremlin has upped the geopolitical ante by pledging to send a heavy aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, as reported by Russian news agency Interfax.

Business Insider,

1 June, 2013

The Kremlin has upped the geopolitical ante by pledging to send a heavy aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, as reported by Russian news agency Interfax.

The carrier — named the "Admiral Kuznetsov" — is quite the beast, and word of its addition to the area of operations is just the latest in jockeying between the U.S. and Russia.

"The cruiser will ... perform a number of missions in an offshore oceanic zone as part of a group," Navy Commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov told Interfax. "Northern Fleet naval pilots will perform a number of missions on board this cruiser in the long-range mission."

The warship holds several sea-based fighters and helicopters, missiles, anti-submarine systems and a crew of 2,000 people.

Despite the implications of the new orders, Chirkov nonchalantly tossed the Admiral Kuznetsov in with the other ships recently deployed to the Mediterranean.

"After all, ships from the Northern, Black Sea, and Baltic Fleets will perform missions as part of this group. So why not," he said.

The heavy aircraft-carrying missile cruiser is the only one in Russia's fleet, so its deployment is an unmistakable signal of Moscow's seriousness about protecting their regional interests, some of which are directly tied to the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian port of Tartus.

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The port of Tartus (A), Syria, which is the site of Russia's only remaining international military base outside of the former Soviet Union.

In November Russia sent six warships from its Black Sea Fleet to the Mediterranean in response to the Israel-Gaza conflict. That month the U.S. also began making moves to increase the American military presence in the east Mediterranean.

In May a detachment from Russia’s Pacific Fleet entered the Mediterranean waters for the first time since the Cold War.

"The Russian Defense Ministry started setting up a special force of warships in the Mediterranean in order to protect Russia's interests in the region," Syria's state-run news agency reported last month, citing a spokesman for Russia defense ministry.

The support Russia has provided to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the 26-month conflict includes guns, grenades, tank parts, fighter jets, advanced antiship cruise missiles, long-range air defense missiles, military officers as advisors, diplomatic cover, and lots of cash.

Topping it off, all of these ships are guarding Assad's ancestral homeland and only route out of the country.

No wonder Syria's ruler shows no sign of backing down

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