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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Order on Fleet to Go Unheeded |
| 2008-08-15 |
| Russia's military said Thursday that it would ignore a decree by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko requiring its Black Sea Fleet to give 72 hours' notice before undertaking any movements from its Crimean port. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of the armed forces' General Staff, said the order, which also would require the Russian Navy to submit a request 10 days before ships return to the Crimean port, was illegitimate and violated previous agreements. The Black Sea Fleet has been deployed to the Georgian coast as part of Moscow's military action against Georgia. "We don't consider such orders as legitimate," Nogovitsyn told a briefing. "We will follow the existing agreements." Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the Ukrainian move Thursday, saying it reflected "an obsessive desire to please NATO and join it." The chief of Ukraine's General Staff, Serhiy Kirichenko, promised to fulfill Yushchenko's decree. "The president's decree on the Black Sea Fleet will, of course, be implemented on the territory of Ukraine," Kirichenko told reporters, the Unian news agency reported. "The Defense Ministry and the General Staff are among those state bodies responsible for this task." Yushchenko's order, issued Wednesday, is seen as a strong show of support for Georgia as both countries seek to break free of Moscow's influence. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #12 I'm guessing the Russians will bluster but still give 10 days notice. Otherwise the Ukrainians will claim they don't have food/water/fuel in stock for the ships for ten days, potentially leaving the fleet with a few problems. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-08-15 13:19 |
| #11 Maybe the USS Kennedy and friends could take up all the available parking spaces. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2008-08-15 13:15 |
| #10 I wouldnt see Ukraine firing at returning vessels, or even blowing up docks. Im sure there are more subtle things they can do, like interfering with shipments of supplies. The Russian response to that couldnt really be violence (well not NOW, with Georgia still messy) but might be a cut of energy supplies again. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-08-15 12:59 |
| #9 his response was not unanticipated; let's see if Ukraine calls, raises, or folds. i suspect a fold. with explanations (apologies) |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2008-08-15 12:52 |
| #8 Just blow up the russian dock , see if they can parallel park a destroyer. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-08-15 12:23 |
| #7 We'll see if the Ukrainians stand firm, or fold. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-08-15 11:25 |
| #6 The Ukranians "lent" the Georgians a few S200 systems. The Russians didn't expect to face that and ended up losing one Tu-22M3 and hits to 3 other Backfires. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-08-15 08:47 |
| #5 The Ukranians may need to blockade the Russians in port to enforce their requirements. Their navy is a bit light on submarines. Do we have a few we can loan them? |
| Posted by: Mike 2008-08-15 08:26 |
| #4 PIMF, the second out = our. |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2008-08-15 05:59 |
| #3 Those insolent Ukrainians! Only we can pull new rules out of out ass! |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2008-08-15 05:58 |
| #2 Tactical lasers work by heating the surface of the target. In the case of rockets or missiles, the payload or fuel chamber is detonated in the air as a result, often before the metal surface is actually breached. So the question is a) what are you aiming for WRT a ship and b) can you put and keep enough energy on that location to do the damage you require? Several problems WRT ships: Thickness of hull Critical hull areas under water Much harder to keep beam on a given spot due to wave motion Need for a much bigger hole All of which means a HUGE amount of energy applied over a long time. Not likely to be feasible from an airborne platform, if at all. I'm not familiar enough with shipboard electronics to know if there's an above-water target that is feasible. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-08-15 05:51 |
| #1 can the airborne laser sink ships? (deniable..) |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-08-15 00:29 |