Russian aircraft carrier and battle group Admiral Kuznetsov in Syria since 2016. The Russian naval grouping is led by the No...
Many of these ships, Izvestia noted, are armed with Kalibr cruise missiles. Several more ships are reportedly en route to join the flotilla, making it Russia’s largest (in terms of pure numbers of hulls deployed) naval deployment to Syria — and possibly the largest since the end of the Cold War. But claims that it is the most powerful deployment are dubious; in late 2016 Russia’s two largest ships led an eight-ship flotilla to Syria on a power-projection cruise.
The main difference between the two groups are their military capabilities. The two ships that led Russia’s last major naval deployment to Syria were the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and nuclear-powered battlecruiser Peter the Great. They were accompanied by two destroyers and several other ships. However, Kuznetsov and Peter the Great are not armed with Kalibr missiles.
When the Kuznetsov battle group deployed to Syria in late 2016, it did so as Washington was again debating the merits of strikes on Syria. That group was a better deterrent — for no other reason than Peter the Great was in theater. The Russian battlecruiser is designed to pound American carriers from a distance. But the group en route to Syria is now comprised of smaller ships with cruise missiles, indicating Russia may have an eye on supporting the Syrian government’s expected push the major offensive into Idlib. For Washington’s post, Russia’s allegations of a coming strike have been brushed off as propaganda.
Russia on Tuesday announced that Syrian rebels are preparing a chemical attack which Moscow says will be used to justify a Western strike against Syrian troops. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday that the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee is preparing the attack in the northern Idlib province and that it would be filmed by first-responders known as the White Helmets, who Russia has accused of fabricating past attacks
The main difference between the two groups are their military capabilities. The two ships that led Russia’s last major naval deployment to Syria were the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and nuclear-powered battlecruiser Peter the Great. They were accompanied by two destroyers and several other ships. However, Kuznetsov and Peter the Great are not armed with Kalibr missiles.
When the Kuznetsov battle group deployed to Syria in late 2016, it did so as Washington was again debating the merits of strikes on Syria. That group was a better deterrent — for no other reason than Peter the Great was in theater. The Russian battlecruiser is designed to pound American carriers from a distance. But the group en route to Syria is now comprised of smaller ships with cruise missiles, indicating Russia may have an eye on supporting the Syrian government’s expected push the major offensive into Idlib. For Washington’s post, Russia’s allegations of a coming strike have been brushed off as propaganda.
Russia on Tuesday announced that Syrian rebels are preparing a chemical attack which Moscow says will be used to justify a Western strike against Syrian troops. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday that the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee is preparing the attack in the northern Idlib province and that it would be filmed by first-responders known as the White Helmets, who Russia has accused of fabricating past attacks