World War Three Thread....

[American Patriot]

Russia may hit USA very hard below the belt (Things get more serious)
Pravda.ru ^

The sale of Russia’s arms is another problem. The governments of Western countries and Israel are concerned about reports saying that Russia started the shipments of first components of its S-300 missile system to Iran. The latter may subsequently use the powerful systems to down US and Israeli aircraft.

Russia may complicate USA’s and NATO’s supply of the coalition in Afghanistan In April, Moscow gave France and Germany a right to transit non-combatant cargoes via Russia. Russia’s ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said that the West should not bite the hand that feeds 50,000 servicemen in Afghanistan. Moscow can offer show pressure of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, which the USA would like to use for their operations in Afghanistan.

In addition, Russia is capable of blocking any sanctions at the UN Security Council. Moscow can also pull out from a number of disarmament treaties, including the one signed with the USA about the liquidation of short and smaller range missiles after the expiry of START-1 Treaty in 2009.

Russia may hit USA very hard below the belt

Flynt Leverett, a former National Security Council senior director and CIA senior analyst, said that Moscow was becoming a very important buyer of US Treasury bonds and US government agency issues. The specialist believes that those officials, who urge Washington to put forward various ultimatums to Russia, would hardly prefer Moscow disposing of its dollar assets. Leverett wrote for The National Interest that Moscow was sounding out opportunities of selling Russian crude for roubles, which would obviously affect long-term dollar positions.

(Excerpt) Read more at english.pravda.ru ...

[eversman]

I have no doubt, whatsoever, ZERO doubt, they will ship these air-defense systems and they will help the iranians reach Initial Operational Capability with them too. It is in their interest to do so.



ev

[eversman]

When i was younger, i read a book by tom clancy called "red storm rising'. It was interesing, because the conflict in that book began with an extremely elaborate maskirovka, or deception operation. It was what immediately preceeded and continued during the invasion and occupation of georgia, and the 2nd part is unfolding now and its exactly what they are playing out, in that article, rick.

The more things change, the more they stay EXACTLY the same......


ev

This won't set too well with US troops sitting there...

Russia preparing to attack Georgia again?
World Press ^ | 8.25.08 | williamamos

Russia has information that Georgia is planning a military attack on Abkhazia to seize the capital Sukhumi, the Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, told a media briefing in Moscow on Monday. He said that the military potential of Georgia was being restored for a repeated act of aggression.

“We have received serious intelligence information, and we shall discuss in detail the Georgian-Abkhazian direction on Tuesday,” he said.

“The information is serious. If many media outlets still see Russia as the aggressor in the South Ossetian direction, the plan for seizing Sukhumi is so clear that we shall be able to prove that Georgia was the aggressor in the second direction as well,” he added.

(Excerpt) Read more at williamamos.wordpress.com ...

[American Patriot]

I've no doubt that the Russians read Clancy, either.

I read most of his books. I'm very familiar with them.

There are some "chess moves" that world powers do, to remain on top. This is Russia's way of saying "I'm BACCCCCKKKKK!" and someone needs to keep them in the gonads.

[eversman]

We need to be prepared for a full-scale shooting war, at a moments notice. you know, like we were in bad old days of the 80s waiting for the bear to move on us, because it seems that once again, we are in exactly the same situation again.



ev

[eversman]

US aid warship will defy Russian control of Georgian port of Poti

DEBKAfile Special Report
August 26, 2008, 2:34 PM (GMT+02:00)
Russian Black Sea missile cruiser Moskva

The US embassy in Tbilisi said Tuesday, Aug. 26, that two warships will deliver aid to Georgia Wednesday through the Black Sea port of Poti, the day after Russian forces announced they would search all incoming cargoes.
The first US aid warship docked at Batumi Saturday, to avoid friction with the Russian naval, infantry and armored forces which control Poti port.
The Black Sea confrontation between Russia and the US-led NATO forces predicted by DEBKAfile last week is building up inexorably to a climax.
In Moscow, DEBKAfile’s military sources report, Capt. Igor Dygalo, deputy commander of the Russian Navy, announced that the Moskva missile cruiser would carry out a naval exercise on the Black Sea.
The Russians are clearly marking out their control of the Black Sea in the face of the USS McFaul guided missile destroyer’s arrival with aid for Georgia. Our sources report that the McFaul carries 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles capable of striking land and sea targets.
Capt. Dygalo said the Moskva would practice its wire-guided weapons, communications and missile guidance systems. The exercise will no doubt interfere with the movements of NATO vessels, as clearly intended.
Russian Dep. chief of staff Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn spoke Monday, Aug. 25, of nine Western vessels in the Black Sea - 2 American, 4 Turkish and the rest Polish and Spanish. He said their presence was not a cause for concern.
However, DEBKAfile’s military sources report that a clash is becoming inevitable, whether among these hostile fleets or over Russian troops’ demand to search the cargoes of the two US warships when they dock at Poti Wednesday: the US Coast Guard cutter Dallas and the command and control USS Mount Whitney . The latter is equipped with facilities for commanding sea, land and air combat operations.

[American Patriot]

US aid warship will defy Russian control of Georgian port of Poti

DEBKAfile Special Report

August 26, 2008, 2:34 PM (GMT+02:00)
Russian Black Sea missile cruiser Moskva

Russian Black Sea missile cruiser Moskva

The US embassy in Tbilisi said Tuesday, Aug. 26, that two warships will
deliver aid to Georgia Wednesday through the Black Sea port of Poti, the day
after Russian forces announced they would search all incoming cargoes.

The first US aid warship docked at Batumi Saturday, to avoid friction with
the Russian naval, infantry and armored forces which control Poti port.

The Black Sea confrontation between Russia and the US-led NATO forces
predicted by DEBKAfile last week is building up inexorably to a climax.

In Moscow, DEBKAfile's military sources report, Capt. Igor Dygalo, deputy
commander of the Russian Navy, announced that the Moskva missile cruiser
would carry out a naval exercise on the Black Sea.

The Russians are clearly marking out their control of the Black Sea in the
face of the USS McFaul guided missile destroyer's arrival with aid for
Georgia. Our sources report that the McFaul carries 50 Tomahawk cruise
missiles capable of striking land and sea targets.

Capt. Dygalo said the Moskva would practice its wire-guided weapons,
communications and missile guidance systems. The exercise will no doubt
interfere with the movements of NATO vessels, as clearly intended.

Russian Dep. chief of staff Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn spoke Monday, Aug. 25,
of nine Western vessels in the Black Sea - 2 American, 4 Turkish and the
rest Polish and Spanish. He said their presence was not a cause for concern.

However, DEBKAfile's military sources report that a clash is becoming
inevitable, whether among these hostile fleets or over Russian troops'
demand to search the cargoes of the two US warships when they dock at Poti
Wednesday: the US Coast Guard cutter Dallas and the command and control USS
Mount Whitney . The latter is equipped with facilities for commanding sea,
land and air combat operations.

[American Patriot]

Georgia president claims Russians are now within artillery range of Tbilisi
The Telegraph ^

Just hours before Russia escalated the crisis by recognising the independence of two separatist Georgian provinces, Mr Saakashvili said Russian forces had advanced to the strategic Akhalgori heights 10 miles from Tbilisi.

He warned that Georgia would respond with force if its capital was attacked and told the West to act more forcefully against Russian aggression.

"They are trying to take the heights of Akhalgori," he told reporters at a briefing this morning. "This is the most worrying thing at the moment. They would be within 20km of Tbilisi.

"We are in a very precarious situation."

The president said that the West now had to act meaningfully to stop Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, from heightening the crisis still further.

"Some people in the West have been in denial for a long time," he said. "Now there can be no more denial.

"The West has to show that this will cost them - really cost them. You are dealing with bullies here and bullies do not understand the tender message."

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...

[American Patriot]

Russia mocks West's displeasure over war in Georgia
The Telegraph ^ | August 26, 2008 | Adrian Blomfield in Gori and Bruno Waterfield

The Kremlin has poured scorn on Western attempts to punish Russia for its invasion of Georgia, saying it was more than happy to be estranged from the international community.

The Kremlin on Monday said it was more than happy to be locked out of international institutions as it poured scorn on Western attempts to punish Russia over its invasion of Georgia.

Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, said he was not bothered if more than a decade of post Cold War rapprochement with Nato was halted altogether. "We are ready to accept any decisions up to halting relations altogether," he said. The president also issued a chilly warning to Moldova of a military response if it followed the Georgian example of trying to regain control of its own breakaway region of Transdniester, whose rebel leadership has long been backed by Russia.

The hard line approach was adopted by Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, who said he saw no merit in joining the World Trade Organization even though Russia has had an outstanding membership application since 1995. "We don't feel or see any advantages from membership, if they exist at all," he said.

While he did not formally abandon accession negotiations, Mr Putin announced that Russia was pulling out of commitments it had earlier signed that were seen as pre-requisites for membership.

The international community has so far limited its response to Russia's occupation of large parts of Georgia to strong words and veiled hints of further diplomatic retribution.

Nato has frozen some contacts with Russia, while the United States has warned Moscow's ambitions for membership in international bodies like the WTO were being jeopardized by the conflict.

The tough talk from the Russians on Monday, described by one western envoy as the "bring it on" school of diplomacy, seemed to have

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...

[American Patriot]

Russia Is Dangerous But Weak
Wall Street Journal ^ | 26 August 2008 | BRET STEPHENS

'In Russia," wrote the great scholar of Russian imperialism Dietrich Geyer many years ago, "expansion was an expression of economic weakness, not exuberant strength."

Keep this observation in mind as Vladimir Putin and his minions bask in the glow of Western magazine cover stories about Russia's "resurgence" following its splendid little war against plucky little Georgia. The Kremlin is certainly confident these days, buoyed by years of rising commodity prices and a bullying foreign policy that mistakes fear for respect -- the very combination that made the Soviet Union seem invincible in the 1970s.

...Take something as basic as demography. "In the next four decades," noted CIA Director Michael Hayden earlier this year, "we expect . . . the population of Russia to shrink by 32 million people [to about 110 million]. That means Russia will lose about a quarter of its population. To sustain its economy, Russia increasingly will have to look elsewhere for workers. Some of them will be immigrant Russians coming from the former Soviet states, what the Russians call the near abroad. But there aren't enough of them to make up that population loss. Others will be Chinese and non-Russians from the Caucasus, Central Asia and elsewhere, potentially aggravating Russia's already uneasy racial and religious tensions."

Or take oil and gas production, which accounts for one-third of the country's budget, 64% of its export revenue, 30% of foreign direct investment, and a little more than 20% of gross domestic product.

There's bad news here, too. Oil production is set to decline this year for the first time in a decade, a decline that is widely expected to accelerate rapidly in 2010. Of Russia's 14 largest oil fields, seven are more than 50% depleted. Production at its four largest gas fields is also in decline.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...

[American Patriot]

NATO-Russian naval controntation on tap in Black Sea?
DPA ^

Tbilisia/Kiev/Moscow - A NATO-Russia naval confrontation in the Black Sea appeared days away on Tuesday, after American officials announced a US warship would attempt to enter a Georgian port controlled by Russian army and naval forces. US fleet elements will in coming weeks unload humanitarian aid in the Russia-controlled Georgian port Poti, US embassy spokesman Stephen Guice said in remarks widely reported by Georgian media.

The American announcement setting the stage for a direct US-Russia naval confrontation came against a background of continuing high tensions in the region in the wake of the Russia-Georgia conflict and with both Russia and NATO rushing warships into the Black Sea.

The first NATO naval vessel to sail into the region was the destroyer USS McFaul, arriving to take up station off Georgia's Black Sea coast on August 24.

Moscow officials called the US warship's presence near the Georgian port Batumi "provocative" and "unhelpful," pointing out the presence of a squadron of Russia's Black Sea fleet stationed only some 50 kilometres north, in the vicinity of the Georgian port Poti.

US officials said the American destroyer was landing humanitarian aid in Batumi, the only Georgian seaport currently not under Russian control.

Russian marines captured Georgia's main port Poti during the first week of the Russo-Georgian war, sinking Georgia's tiny navy and later demolishing practically all Georgian military infrastructure in the vicinity.

Russia's army continues to operate road checkpoints controlling movement between Poti and the former Soviet republic interior, blocking most trade between Georgia and western nations.

NATO nations have in recent days quietly upped their naval presence in the Black Sea, adding support to the US destroyer.

A Polish warship, according to unconfirmed Turkish media reports a minesweeper, reportedly accompanied the McFaul as the two ships passed the Bosphorus, and is operating off Georgia's coast.

The US coast guard cutter Dallas is en route to Batumi and will joun the US destroyer within the week, Georgia's Rustaveli-2 television reported.

Also en route to join the de facto NATO squadron operating in the Black Sea are the German frigate Luebeck, the Spanish frigate Admiral Juan den Borbon, and five other NATO warships including possibly an attack submarine, Kremlin officials have claimed.

NATO officials have confirmed ships are en route or are already in the Black Sea, but have said the warship concentration is because of a planned "peacekeeping" exercise off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria.

A small Turkish warship squadron was reportedly also stationed off the Turkish coast to the south of Batumi, according to Georgian media reports.

The Kremlin has harshly criticised the NATO naval buildup, and has repeatedly made public the names and destinations of NATO warships moving into the region, well before Brussels' official acknowledgement.

NATO currently has a total eight warships operating in the Black Sea, with a ninth frigate en route and expected on Georgia station in the next few days, Russian naval officials citing maritime intelligence said Tuesday.

But Moscow also has responded to the apparent - if officially denied - NATO naval challenge by spiking its own Black Sea warship levels.

The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the guided missle cruiser Moscow, put to sea on Monday after returning to its home base port Sevastopol, Ukraine.

The Moscow's sortie back into the Black came a mere 72 hours after the giant warship returned to the Crimea peninsula from Georgian waters. Normally, Sevastopol-based Russian warships spend most of the year in port, and take to open waters after months of preparation.

Russian general staff spokesmen denied point blank that the rapidity of the return to sea of the massive cruiser, a warship twice the size of NATO's largest warship in the region the USS McFaul, had anything to do with a US naval presence off Georgia.

Russia had been planning a naval exercise in the Black Sea "for months ahead of time," and the Moscow's departure "was part of normal planned training," deadpanned Anatoliy Nagovitsyn, vice Chief of Russia's general staff, at a Moscow press conference.

The cruiser Moscow will lead a squadron of as many of 18 Russian warships operating in the general vicinity of, but not interfering with the NATO flotilla, Nagovitsyn said.

Russian warships on Tuesday docked in Sukhumi, the capital of the Russia-allied Georgian renegade province Abkhazia, on Tuesday morning, he added, according to an Interfax news agency report.

[American Patriot]

Russia cruiser to test weapons in crowded Black Sea
25 Aug 2008 18:44:17 GMT
Source: Reuters

MOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Russia's flagship cruiser re-entered the Black Sea on Monday for weapons tests hours after the Russian military complained about the presence of U.S. and other NATO naval ships near the Georgian coast.

The 'Moskva' had led a battle group of Russian naval vessels stationed off the coastline of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia during Russia's recent conflict with Georgia and sank smaller Georgian craft.

The assistant to the Russian Navy's commander-in-chief told Russian news agencies the cruiser had put to sea again two days after returning to its base at the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.

"'Moskva' has today departed toward the Black Sea Fleet's naval training range to check its radio-controlled weapons and onboard communications systems," Captain Igor Dygalo was quoted as saying by Interfax.

The Russian navy's press office was unable to confirm his comments when contacted by Reuters.

The presence of so many ships from NATO countries earlier drew the ire of a Russian military spokesman during a daily media briefing on the conflict.

"The fact that there are nine Western warships in the Black Sea cannot but be a cause for concern. They include two U.S. warships, one each from Spain and Poland, and four from Turkey," Anatoly Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of the Russian military's General Staff said.

On Sunday, the U.S. guided missile destroyer USS McFaul arrived with aid including camp beds, bedding, tents and mobile kitchen units, the U.S Defense Department spokesman Bryan. Whitman said.

Separately, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Dallas has been dispatched with aid, while a third vessel, the Navy command ship USS Mount Whitney, is being loaded in Italy with humanitarian supplies for Georgia, he said.

The NATO ships in the Black Sea are carrying more than 100 'Tomahawk' cruise missiles, with more than 50 onboard the USS McFaul alone that could hit ground targets, reported RIA news agency, quoting unnamed sources in Russian military intelligence. (Reporting by Conor Sweeney, additional reporting by David Morgan in Washington)

AlertNet news is provided by Reuters

[American Patriot]

Things are about to get "hot" folks.

[American Patriot]

NATO Navy has extraordinary activity in Black Sea-Gen Staff



26.08.2008, 13.27



MOSCOW, August 26 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian army’s General Staff is “bewildered” by the extraordinary activity of the NATO Naval forces in the north-eastern sector of the Black Sea, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said at a press conference on Tuesday. According to him, there are currently nine warships of NATO countries in the region.

“And another frigate of the US Navy entered the Bosporus yesterday at 23:30,” the official added. Nogovitsyn forecasted that “the arrival of eight more NATO ships is expected in the area shortly.”

[American Patriot]

Pacific Fleet scheduled exercise begins on Kamchatka



26.08.2008, 08.27



PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, August 26 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Pacific Fleet’s scheduled exercise has begun on Kamchatka, the headquarters of the fleet’s grouping told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

Coastal defence units will hold firing drills at the Radygino range near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Ships and submarines will train how to repulse an attack of an imaginary enemy at sea. They will also master missile and artillery firing.

Aircraft and missile defence units are also engaged in the exercise.

[American Patriot]

Russia to break with WTO accords
AFP via Yahoo!News ^ | Mon Aug 25, 10:36 AM ET | Nick Coleman

Russia decided Monday to break off some trade agreements reached during negotiations to join the World Trade Organisation, as relations between Moscow and the West grew increasingly tense.

The move to withdraw from some of the accords reached over years of arduous talks came at a meeting of an inner circle of cabinet ministers chaired by powerful Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

It confirmed Russia's disillusionment with the complex negotiations needed to enter the 153-nation trade body.

"Russia intends to inform various WTO partners of its withdrawal from accords that contradict its interests," First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov told Putin at Monday's meeting, quoted by Interfax.

In response, Putin gave his assent, saying: "That is reasonable."

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...

[American Patriot]

Russian military questions NATO naval presence in Black Sea
FOCUS News Agency ^

A top Russian general Tuesday questioned the "extreme level" of activity of NATO naval forces in the Black Sea, saying it could not be needed for the delivery of aid to Georgia or for routine naval exercises, AFP informed.

"We're bewildered at the extreme level of activity of NATO naval forces in the Black Sea, which continue to increase their numbers," General Anatoly Nogovitsyn told reporters at a briefing on the conflict.

"Only yesterday I said there were nine NATO ships in the sea and by evening another frigate of the US navy passed through the Bosphorus Straits.

"We have also learnt that another eight warships from NATO states are expected shortly.

"They talk about planned exercises and you can probably find some legitimacy in that but... it's very hard to believe that all the visits so far have been bringing only humanitarian aid," said Nogovitsyn.

"Nappies can be bought in any market in Georgia," he said.

Nogovitsyn went on to insist that Russia was complying with a French-brokered peace plan while Georgia's military was rearming.

"While Russia shows adherence to the achieved international agreement, Tbilisi continues to revive its armed forces," he said.

The comments came as the US navy destroyer USS McFaul carrying humanitarian aid was heading to the Georgian port city of Poti, where Russian forces have been deployed.

The United States has led Western calls for Russia to withdraw its forces from such advanced positions as the Poti port.

[American Patriot]

US warships to dock in Georgia's flashpoint port
Reuters ^ | 26 Aug 2008 08:59:09 GMT

TBILISI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Two U.S. warships will deliver humanitarian supplies on Wednesday to the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti where Russian troops have been mounting patrols, the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi said on Tuesday.

"At the request of the Georgian government, these ships will be delivering humanitarian aid to Poti," said a spokesman for the embassy. "The USS McFaul and another U.S. ship will dock in Poti in Wednesday." (Reporting by Margarita Antidze; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Jon Boyle)

[American Patriot]

TBILISI, Georgia: A spokesman for the U.S. embassy says the American navy will deliver food aid to a Georgian port city where Russian forces have set up checkpoints on the outskirts.


The city, Poti, is one of the most tense areas of Georgia following this month’s war with Russia. Although many Russian troops have pulled back under a cease-fire agreement, hundreds remain at checkpoints in so-called “security zones” that Moscow claims for itself.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/...Georgia-US.php

[Aplomb]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,410507,00.html

Russian President Says He's Not Afraid of Cold War

Tuesday, August 26, 2008


MOSCOW — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday that he is not afraid of afraid of a new Cold War, but does not seek it.


"We are not afraid of anything, including the prospect of a new Cold War," Medvedev was quoted as saying Tuesday by the ITAR-Tass news agency. "But we don't want it and in this situation everything depends on the position of our partners."


The statement comes hours after Medvedev recognized the independence of two Georgian rebel provinces, defying the West. The recognition follows a short but intense war with Western-allied Georgia earlier this month.


"If they want to preserve good relations with Russia in the West, they will understand the reason behind our decision," Medvedev said.


Medvedev's comments come as British Foreign Minister David Milband called for the "widest possible coalition against Russia's aggressiun in Georgia," Reuters reported.


Russia formally recognized the breakaway Georgian territories at the heart of its war with Georgia on Tuesday, heightening tensions with the West as the United States dispatched a military ship bearing aid to a port city still patrolled by Russian troops.


Medvedev said Georgia forced Russia's hand by launching an attack targeting South Ossetia on Aug. 7 in an apparent bid to seize control of the breakaway region.


In response, Russian tanks and troops drove deep into the U.S. ally's territory in a five-day war that Moscow saw as a justified response to a military threat in its backyard and the West viewed as a repeat of Soviet-style intervention in its vassal states.


"This is not an easy choice but this is the only chance to save people's lives,"

Medvedev said Tuesday in a televised address a day after Russia's Kremlin-controlled parliament voted unanimously to support the diplomatic recognition.


Western criticism came almost immediately.


Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the decision to recognize the independence of two breakaway regions in Georgia is "extremely unfortunate."


She said the U.S. regards Abkhazia and South Ossetia as "part of the internationally recognized borders of Georgia" and will use its veto power in the U.N. Security Council to block any Russian attempt change their status.


Britain, Germany and France also criticized the decision. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Russia's recognition of Georgian rebel regions "absolutely unacceptable."


Russian forces have staked out positions beyond the de-facto borders of the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The two territories have effectively ruled themselves following wars in the 1990s.


While Western nations have called the Russian military presence in Poti a clear violation of an EU-brokered cease-fire, a top Russian general countered Tuesday that using warships to deliver aid was "devilish."


"The heightened activity of NATO ships in the Black Sea perplexes us," Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said in Moscow. The United States says its ships are carrying humanitarian aid but suspicion persists in Russia that they are delivering military materiel clandestinely.


Many of the Russian forces have pulled back from their positions in Georgia, but hundreds at least are estimated to still be manning checkpoints that Russia calls "security zones."


Two of those checkpoints are near the edge of Poti, one of Georgia's most important Black Sea ports — one by a bridge that provides the only access to Poti. The Russian military is also claiming the right to patrol in the city.


An AP cameraman was treated roughly by Russian troops Sunday when he tried to film Russian movements around Poti. Other AP journalists have reported on Russian looting in the city. Georgian officials have said much of the port's infrastructure — radar, Coast Guard ships, other equipment — was destroyed by the Russians.


Angering Russia, the United States sent the missile destroyer USS McFaul to the southern Georgian port of Batumi, well away from the conflict zone, to deliver 34 tons of humanitarian aid on Sunday.


The McFaul left Batumi on Tuesday but would remain in the Black Sea area, said Commander Scott Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 6th Fleet in Naples, Italy.


The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Dallas, meanwhile, was headed for Georgia with a shipment of aid.


Embassy spokesman Stephen Guice did not give details on which ship would aim to enter Poti, but it appeared likely the smaller Coast Guard ship would aim to dock, with the McFaul possibly remaining on guard at sea.


"We can confirm that U.S. ship-borne humanitarian aid will be delivered to Poti tomorrow," Guice said.


In Moscow, the deputy head of the Russian military's general staff lashed out at the U.S. naval operation.


"We are worried" about aid being delivered on warships, Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said. "This is devilish."


"This aid could be bought at any flea market," he added.


While he did not link it with the U.S. ships, Nogovitsyn said a unit of Russian naval ships was off Sukhumi — the capital of another separatist Georgian region, Abkhazia, on the Black Sea north of Poti. He said the ships were observing the pullout of Russian troops from Georgia.


Nogovitsyn told reporters that 10 ships from NATO nations were currently in the Black Sea and that eight more are to join them soon.


"They have very serious arsenal on their ships," Nogovitsyn said. "The Black Sea is just a small pool for their arms with the range of 2,500 kilometers."


The Georgian defense ministry said a Russian large landing ship, the Yamal, was seen in the Black Sea off Poti on Tuesday morning and another was in the sea farther north off Abkhazia, which is also under the control of Russian troops.


The United States and other Western countries have given substantial military aid to Georgia, angering Russia, which regards Georgia as part of its historical sphere of influence. Russia has also complained bitterly about aspirations by Georgia and Ukraine to join NATO.


Medvedev said Georgian Presdent Mikhail Saakshvili was so bent on ganiang control of South Ossetia that he resorted to "genocide."


"Georgia chose the least human way to achieve its goal — to absorb South Ossetia by eliminating a whole nation," Medvedev said.


Russia's military presence seems likely to further weaken Georgia, a Western ally in the Caucasus region, a major transit corridor for energy supplies to Europe and a strategic crossroads close to the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia and energy-rich Central Asia.


After Russia's parliament urged recognition of the breakaway territories on Monday, the U.S. State Department said recognition would be "unacceptable" and President Bush urged the Kremlin against it.


"Georgia's territorial integrity and borders must command the same respect as every other nation's, including Russia's," Bush, who is sending Vice President Dick Cheney on a visit to Georgia next month to show support, said late Monday.


Russia says the West undermined its own arguments for the sanctity of Georgia's borders by supporting Kosovo's declaration of independence from traditional Russian ally Serbia in February.


Georgia lashed out at Russia, as expected.


"Russia is trying to legalize the results of an ethnic cleansing it has conducted, to oppose it to the West," Georgia's state minister on reintegration, Timur Yakobashvili, told The Associated Press. "But it will result in Russia's isolation from the world."


Britain rejected the Russian move, with the Foreign Office saying it did "nothing to improve the prospects of peace in the Caucasus."


French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier said France regrets Russia's decision and is committed to the territorial integrity of Georgia.


In practical terms, Russian recognition seems unlikely break the isolation of the two breakaway regions.


Neither region has much to export, or much of an economy. Both rely heavily on Russia for pensions and government subsidies. Most people in the two regions have been given Russian passports, and already consider themselves citizens of Russia.


But it marked an initial step toward what could become modern Russia's first push for territorial expansion.


In London, British oil company BP PLC announced Monday it has reopened the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which runs through Georgia.


The pipeline, which provides some 1 million barrels per day of Caspian Sea crude to international markets, had been closed for more than two weeks after a fire on its Turkish stretch. Kurdish rebels claimed responsibility for the blaze.


BP's ability to export Caspian oil had been seriously curtailed by both the fire on the Turkish stretch of the BTC line and the fighting with Russia in Georgia.


The London-based company shut down its Baku-Supsa oil pipeline — which runs through the center of Georgia from Baku in Azerbaijan to Supsa on Georgia's Black Sea coast — on August 12 because of security concerns. That line, which had been pumping about 90,000 barrels a day, remains closed.