Russia moving into Libya

Libyan National Army forces, under the leadership of Maj. Gen. Khalifah Haftar, is pushing for a Russian military presence in eastern Libya. (The Washington Times/File) Photo by: Mathieu Galtier

 

U.S. intelligence agencies are closely monitoring Russian military activities in Libya for signs that Moscow may soon build a military base in the divided North African state.

Intelligence reports indicate that Russia is planning to expand its Syrian bases at Tartus and Hemeimeem to Libya.

The possible Russian move into Libya represents the most recent failure stemming from the policies of President Obama that backed Islamist rebels who overthrew and killed Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Mr. Obama has said that the failure to prepare for the aftermath of the ouster of Gadhafi was the worst mistake of his presidency. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also came under fire for failing to provide security for Americans who were attacked and killed in Benghazi after Gadhafi’s fall.

Russia’s Alliance Building Advances with Armenia

Preparations are currently underway for the signing of a full agreement on the creation of a joint group of armed forces of Armenia and Russia. This was announced in an interview with reporters and Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, as well as the heads of the military departments of the two countries.

The Russian Defence Minister General Sergei Shoigu and Army Defense Minister of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan signed a cooperation agreement in the field of identification and evaluation of radiation, chemical and biological conditions in the interest of the Joint group of forces of the two countries.

“Its implementation will clearly regulate the procedure for joint action in this area and in a timely manner to ensure the grouping of the necessary information”, – said Anatoly Antonov.

Report: Russia Building Military Base Near Border With Ukraine

Russia is in the process of building a military base close to its border with Ukraine, according to a report Tuesday.

Reuters reported:

A Reuters reporter who visited the Russian town of Klintsy, about 50 km (30 miles) from Ukraine, saw a makeshift army camp, large numbers of newly-arrived servicemen and military vehicles. Two soldiers in camouflage gear who were manning a checkpoint in a forest turned the reporter away, saying they were guarding a “special military site.” Last year, Reuters also reported on construction of two other bases further to the south on Russia’s border with Ukraine. The defense ministry has not acknowledged the deployment of troops to Klintsy, which usually serves as a stop for truck drivers traveling between Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

Russia establishes second military base in Syria

Russia is preparing a second military base in Syria to support troops advancing on the historic city of Palmyra.

An Assad-regime military airport at Shaayrat in central Syria will serve as Moscow’s new base for its warplanes, a military source said on Dec. 3.

The Russians Are Coming? Cypriots Want Russian Military Base

Marius Fotiu, head of the organization, pointed out that Cyprus is the closest EU member-state to Syria so the probability of terrorist attacks in the country is extremely high. Activists asked Anastasiades to “invite units of Russian Aerospace Forces and Navy to Cyprus territory,” according to Izvestia newspaper.

Syrian Military And Political Opposition: Russian Forces In Syria Are Occupation Forces, We Will Expel Them From Our Country

Following media reports of an intensification of the Russian military presence in Syria, some elements from both the political and military wings of the Syrian opposition clarified that they would consider Russian forces in Syria as “occupation forces” and threatened that they would fight them and strike at them until they expelled from Syrian soil. They said that they will transform Syria into “a graveyard for the Russian forces” and stressed that Russian forces in Syria would have no sense of and that Russia would sustain a severe defeat.

Russia expanding major Syrian airport — monitoring group

BEIRUT — Russian forces are working to expand the tarmac of a major airport in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia, a stronghold of President Bashar Assad and his minority Alawite sect, a prominent Syrian monitoring group said Sunday.

The report comes amid rising concern among US officials of increased Russian military activity in Syria. President Barack Obama cast the buildup as an effort to prop up the embattled leader, warning Moscow against doubling down on Assad.

Moscow preparing to destabilize Belarus if Lukashenka refuses to allow a Russian base, Mensk experts say

Alyaksandr Lukashenka has so far refused Moscow’s demand for the establishment of a Russian military base in Belarus, two senior Belarusian analysts say, noting that in addition to promises of aid, Moscow is currently preparing to destabilize its Western neighbor and even create the conditions for a Russian military intervention.

Arseniy Sivitsky, the director of the Belarusian Center for Strategic and Foreign Policy Research, and his colleague Yury Tsarik shared their concerns about the situation with Kseniya Kirillova of Novy Region-2.

Russia’s Newest Military Base In Europe Will Be Just 40km From NATO Facilities In Cyprus

“We want to avoid further deterioration in relations between Russia and Europe,” explained Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades upon reportedly signing an agreement to offer Russia military facilities on its soil (that we noted previously). The air force base at which Russian planes will use is about 40 kilometers from Britain’s sovereign Air Force base at Akrotiri, on the south shores of Cyprus, which provides support to NATO operations in the Middle and Near East regions. As fault lines within the EU widen, Anastasiades said in his interview that Cyprus opposes additional sanctions against Russia by the European Union over Ukraine, “Cyprus and Russia enjoy traditionally good relations and that is not going to change.”

Russia’s Putin eyeing military dominance in Central Asia amid water quarrels

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are landlocked and mountainous countries—75% and 90%, respectively—in Central Asia. The countries’ mountains provide abundance of potable water, which feed the two major rivers of Central Asia.  The scarcity of other natural resources understandably results in Bishkek’s and Dushanbe’s attempts to use the water more wisely—building hydropower plants (HPP) for generating electricity.  Dushanbe is aiming at erecting the tallest dam in the world—a 335-meter (about 1,000 feet) tall concrete wall on the Vakhsh River (turns into Amu-Darya River).  Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, is securing Russia’s backing in building a 275-meter dam on the Naryn River (turns into Syr-Darya River).