MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian navy squadron set off for Venezuela Monday, an official said, in a deployment of Russian military power to the Western Hemisphere unprecedented since the Cold War.
The Kremlin recently has moved to intensify contacts with Venezuela, Cuba and other Latin American nations amid increasingly strained relations with Washington after last month’s war between Russia and Georgia. During the Cold War, Latin America became an ideological battleground between the Soviet Union and the United States.
Russian navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said the nuclear-powered Peter the Great cruiser accompanied by three other ships sailed from the Northern Fleet’s base of Severomorsk on Monday. The ships will cover about 15,000 nautical miles to conduct joint maneuvers with the Venezuelan navy, he told The Associated Press.
The deployment follows a week-long visit to Venezuela by a pair of Russian strategic bombers comes amid increasing tensions with the United States over the Russia-Georgia war.
The intensifying contacts with Venezuela appear to be a response to the U.S. dispatch of warships to deliver aid to Georgia which angered the Kremlin. Russian officials harshly criticized the U.S. deployment to Georgia’s Black Sea coast. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Latin America needs strong friendship with Russia to help reduce U.S. influence and keep peace in the region.
The Cold War heats up again, and another Mission is Accomplished.
Can we nominate countries for a Darwin Award?
Holy Jeebeezus! Another super power with a failing financial system and plumeting stock market decides to exercise military power far from home?
How could this not work?
Russia found an paranoid idiot who wants to buy arms. Cool. Russia will sell to him and make a lot of $.
Let Chavez bankrupt his country with a needless arms build up.
#2. Pedro- not that I like the guy running that ‘place’, I don’t. But he has every reason to be paranoid as stated by Paddy-O. You know why….
#4 “But he has every reason to be paranoid ”
The guy is a psycho dictator in training. “Paranoid” goes with the personality profile.
Angry hack editors, how about a thread regarding the incest joke on SNL? Too chicken to talk about it?
As for this thread, this is history repeating itself. No reason to believe the outcome will be any different.
#6 – “As for this thread, this is history repeating itself. No reason to believe the outcome will be any different.”
The big plus here is Putin helping to bankrupt Chavez by selling him, what I would guess are, really crummy, outdated weapons.
Viva La Revolucion!
#1 bobbo
You obviously haven’t been paying attention to the Russian bank account. Over the past decade, they have accumulated a tidy little nest egg via arms and oil sales.
#6. Didn’t see it. Care to elaborate?
Russia has already dealt with the breadlines brought on by financial collapse. They’re wiley ol’ vets now. America on the other hand…
#3 Let Chavez bankrupt his country with a needless arms build up.
Good one, where do you think he’s getting his money from???
#1 Good one Bobbo! 🙂
Everything old is new again!
(But its another thing when you’re old enough to remember the first go around!)
DOAH!!! Ever since the Russian Navy essentially lest Cuba, they have wanted somewhere warm to hang out in…
Let’s see how the Venezuelans like having the Russians around.
HA!
Both countries are riding on oil money. They are mismanging there economies. The only way they are a threat to us is if a bunch of incompetants get control of the United States.
God help us.
Great picture of Putin! His look tells it all.
#13
Noriega didn’t had any oil. And history has taught us that those who own it can get away with murder..
Who wants to see Russia kick US ass? Hell yeah!
#18 “Who wants to see Russia kick US ass? Hell yeah!”
That’s a laugh! Russia’s most high-tech bomber is nothing but stolen 1970s technology from the U.S. Their nuclear subs have a bad habit of sinking and their army is nothing but drunken undernourished conscripts who couldn’t raise enough money to pay off their local draft board. The most popular pastimes in the barracks are Russian Roulette and homosexual rape.
Yea, bring it on, Putie. We’ll get Chechen on yo ass.
So who cares, I mean really, Venezuela!? Oh that’s right they have oil reserves, so they better be our ‘friend’ and nobody else’s?! And Cuba, they got nothing but cubans. Let Putin play with his ‘toys’, he’ll soon find out what happens to poorly designed and maintained technology. This ain’t the USSR we’re talking about here. Let Chavez and Castro make friends with whom they want it’s no threat to the US. Don’t be fooled by the propaganda… And above all don’t let them manipulate you with fear.
#6 – Jimmie Colina
>>Angry hack editors, how about a thread
>>regarding the incest joke on SNL? Too chicken
>>to talk about it?
Methinks you have an excessive interest in incest, James. How can you expect us to worship you if you’re a perv?
#21 – Russia is more heavily invested in fancy weapons: scalar, EMPs, and weather mods. Traditional weaponry is reserved for blowing up working class folk.
You people read too many cold-war thrillers.
Do you guys know anything about russian arms? they may not be state-of-the-art, but they are extremely functional and effective. In the tropical environment of central and south America, I’d rather have an AK than an Armalite any day of the week, especially if I am deployed for a long period in the bush.
Who cares where the IP came from? Are their bombers working? I do believe so. Are their fighters more maneuverable than ours? In some aspects, yes. Are their avionics good? Good enough for a brush war in Venezuela or its neighbors. If we send down any aircraft, don’t forget their air-defense missile systems are on par with anything else the West has, and we would not be guaranteed air superiority in tactical operations. Their subs may sink once in a while, but they seem to have a lot of them, and they are very good at their tasks even if not their luxury or safety levels are not up to your standards.
We risk playing at war with Russia without completely understanding the repurcussions. Palin and other morons who think they can play at brinksmanship with our treasury almost empty and our troops deployed in a wasteful war in Iraq are a clear and present danger to this country. Confrontation will not solve anything, and may destabilize the situation farther.
Hey John,
Where do I get the link to download your chat with Wolfowits? (not sure what his name is but apparently you were talking about the market)It was mentioned on TWIT and NA.
Regards
Matt
#25 Dumbalix said, “Palin and other morons who think they can play at brinksmanship with our treasury almost empty and our troops deployed in a wasteful war in Iraq are a clear and present danger to this country.”
Do you know the positions of the candidates vis-a-vis the situation with Russia?
Nope.
#25: “In the tropical environment of central and south America, I’d rather have an AK than an Armalite any day of the week, especially if I am deployed for a long period in the bush.”
You read too many Vietnam thrillers. The M4 is a far, far better weapon than the AK when properly cared for. Both weapons will malfunction without proper maintenance.
If Russia wanted to hurt the U.S. without getting in direct conflict with us and perhaps without leaving a trail leading back to them, they would place nuclear devices near to where most of our forces are located in and around Iraq.
How many hundreds of thousands of troops are over there?
Yea that would be bad, and if the devistation was large enough, there would be no evidence and likely some crazy extremist group would want to take credit for it anyway…
Regarding naval vessels near Venezuela, I don’t like it.
But what do I know, I’m just some kid.
Hey, who needs a huge Naval deployment when a bunch of morons with boxcutters can make the whole National Defense system grind to a halt, right?
Putin is SO hoping Obama will be president…that’s reason enough not to vote for him.
27,
Your comment is as intelligent as your insults. I heard Palin myself in an interview threaten to act against Russia in support of Georgia. McCain has supported NATO membership for Georgia over Russia’s (and the EU’s) reservations. McCain uses loaded language in every speech about the situation in the Caucasus, and his one of his key people is in the pay of the Georgian government as an analyst. You are the one who doesn’t know much about the situation.
28,
You are correct, it is “when properly cared for”. If they went to a piston-driven instead of a gas-tube action, this would not be the case. The fact remains that for insurgents, the AK has been the most easy to use, cheap to maintain, and effective assault rifle in history.
The bottom line in all of this is that yes, we have cool and powerful weapons, but so do the Russians, and a brush war in cetral and south America is incredibly stupid. Both Palin and McCain have demonstrated that they are clueless and ignorant in the matter of Russia.
#33 “I heard Palin myself in an interview threaten to act against Russia in support of Georgia.”
You obviously missed where she said that we CANNOT get into a new cold war with Russia. She was talking about econ actions.
Put your brain in gear before posting.
34,
She said the “no cold war” thing after she was excoriated for being an idiot.
If anyone here posts without much thought, it would be you. Your comments are mostly drivel or disingenuous.