From RIA Novosti

 

Russia 'could destroy NATO ships in Black Sea within 20 minutes'

16:03 | 29/ 08/ 2008

 

MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Black Sea Fleet is capable of destroying NATO's naval strike group currently deployed in the sea within 20 minutes, a former fleet commander said on Friday. (Russian Navy modernized - Image gallery)

 

Russia's General Staff said on Tuesday there were 10 NATO ships in the Black Sea - three U.S. warships, the Polish frigate General Pulaski, the German frigate FGS Lubeck, and the Spanish guided missile frigate Admiral Juan de Borbon, as well as four Turkish vessels. Eight more warships are expected to join the group.

 

"Despite the apparent strength, the NATO naval group in the Black Sea is not battle-worthy," Admiral Eduard Baltin said. "If necessary, a single missile salvo from the Moskva missile cruiser and two or three missile boats would be enough to annihilate the entire group."

 

"Within 20 minutes the waters would be clear," he said, stressing that despite major reductions, the Black Sea Fleet still has a formidable missile arsenal.

 

However, Baltin said the chances of a military confrontation between NATO and Russia in the Black Sea are negligible.

 

"We will not strike first, and they do not look like people with suicidal tendencies," he said.

 

In addition to its flagship, the Moskva guided missile cruiser, Russia's Black Sea Fleet includes at least three destroyers, two guided missile frigates, four guided missile corvettes and six missile boats.

 

NATO announced its decision to deliver humanitarian aid to Georgia after the conclusion of hostilities between Tbilisi and Moscow over breakaway South Ossetia on August 12. Moscow recognized on Tuesday both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway Georgia republic, despite being urged by Western leaders not to do so.

 

Russia's General Staff later said the alliance's naval deployment in the Black Sea "cannot fail to provoke concern", with unidentified sources in the Russian military saying a surface strike group was being gathered there.

 

According to Russian military intelligence sources, the NATO warships that have entered the Black Sea are between them carrying over 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

From RIA Novosti

 

Russia could build naval base in Abkhazia

17:32 | 29/ 08/ 2008

 

MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Black Sea Fleet may eventually use the Abkhazian port of Sukhumi as a naval base, former fleet commander said on Friday.

 

After Russia recognized the independence of Georgia's two breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh suggested that Russia's Black Sea Fleet could use one of the ports in the republic to station its warships.

 

"Sukhumi could easily host Black Sea Fleet ships, for instance a naval brigade of up to 30 vessels," said Admiral Eduard Baltin, commenting on Bagapsh's statement.

 

Baltin, 71, said a naval brigade might comprise a division of small ASW ships, a division of small missile ships or boats, and a division of minesweepers.

 

He said one of the large piers at the Sukhumi port had not been used since the 1992 Georgian-Abkhazian conflict because several ships were sunk there.

 

"If we cleared up the harbor at the cargo terminal, we would be able to station the ships from the naval brigade there," the admiral said.

 

A group of Russian warships led by the guided-missile cruiser Moskva visited the Sukhumi port on Wednesday, as part of a peacekeeping mission in Abkhazian territorial waters, according to the Russian Navy.

 

Russia has repeatedly said that it has no plans to withdraw its Black Sea Fleet from the naval base in Sevastopol in Ukraine until the bilateral agreement on the base's lease expires in 2017, despite numerous statements recently made by Ukraine that Russia should be prepared to withdraw its fleet.

 

Russia's Black Sea Fleet has stepped up security at its facilities in Ukraine to deter possible provocative acts following the conclusion of hostilities between Georgia and Russia over breakaway South Ossetia on August 12.

 

Ukraine, which is seeking NATO membership along with Georgia, supported Tbilisi in the conflict with Moscow.

This can become an interesting H4.1 or Shipwreck scenario as it may end too quickly if computers are crunching all the numbers.