Russia in talks with Cuba, Venezuela on joint use of Glonass satellites
21:51
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23/ 09/ 2008
MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is negotiating with Cuba and Venezuela on the joint use of Russia's Glonass navigation satellites, the head of the federal space agency said on Tuesday.
"I have just returned from a working visit to Cuba. They are very interested in cooperating with us in the use of the Glonass system, which will cover the globe by 2010," Roscosmos chief Anatoly Perminov told reporters in Moscow.
He said Moscow and Havana are working on a space cooperation agreement and have considered ways of jointly using earth remote sensing satellites.
Russia has previously said it intends to share its space technology with Cuba, and has begun discussions on building a space center in the country.
Perminov also said Russia would like to station several ground based space communication facilities in Venezuela, but stressed that they would have no military application.
Glonass (Global Navigation Satellite System) is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use, and allows users to identify their positions in real time.
Russia plans to launch six satellites in the next three months to increase the existing Glonass grouping to 18-19 spacecraft.
According to the Central Research Institute for Machine Building, the Glonass system currently consists of 16 satellites, with 13 satellites working in orbit, two undergoing maintenance, and one due to be withdrawn from the orbital grouping.
Perminov earlier said that the number of Glonass satellites will be increased from the current 16 to 30 by 2011.
A total of 9.9 billion rubles (around $400 million at the current exchange rate) was allocated for Glonass from the federal budget in 2007, and 4.7 billion rubles ($190 million) in 2006.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed a directive on September 12 allocating an additional $2.6 billion to develop the Glonass system.
Strengthening ties between Russia and Cuba is a cause for concern among the U.S. government
As political tensions between the United States and Russia remain at a high level, Russia Federal Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov confirmed that the Russian space agency is in talks to help Cuba build a space center.
Cuban specialists are scheduled to visit Russia and tour several facilities where they'll be shown Russian space technologies. Cuba also has shown interest in using the Glonass satellite navigation system, but neither side said how discussions are going.
Even though politics have become a bit more acceptable with Raul Castro now in power, it seems like building a space center in Cuba is designed solely to annoy NASA and the U.S. government -- and possibly create a next-generation Cuban missile crisis, many people fear.
Russian government officials said their aim is to help "renew" ties with Cuba that came undone when the Soviet Union collapsed. Stronger ties between Russia and Cuba have concerned U.S. intelligence officials, who are worried about the two nations recreating a strong military and intelligence cooperation.
Both the United States and NASA are treading water carefully when it comes to Russia, as NASA will likely rely on Russian space craft to take astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and transport supplies into space. Unless NASA delays the retirement of its current shuttle fleet, there will be four or five years where NASA will be unable to send astronauts into orbit without assistance.
Before the conflict with Georgia, the U.S. planned on giving Russia millions as a transportation fee, but political tensions have caused politicians to think twice about the proposed deal.
It remains unclear if the United States is going to officially retire the shuttle in 2010 and rely on Russia, delay the shuttle retirement a couple of years, or try and go the entire duration until Orion without sending astronauts or supplies into space.
Re: Russia in talks with Cuba, Venezuela on joint use of Glonass satellites
Russia to build space centre in Cuba news
20 September 2008
Russia Federal Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov has confirmed that the Russian space agency is in talks to help Cuba build a space centre. The revelation comes even as political tensions between the United States and Russia continue to mount with the latter dispatching two supersonic Tu-22M 'Backfire' bombers to Venezuela, ostensibly for mutual exercises.
The arrival of these supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bombers is a first ever in the South American and Caribbean region and is widely being regarded as the Russians cocking a snook at the Americans.
"We have held preliminary discussions about the possibility of creating a space center in Cuba with our help," Perminov told Itar-Tass. "With our Cuban colleagues, we discussed the possibilities of joint use of space equipment ... and the joint use of space communications systems."
According to the report, Cuban specialists will visit Russia to survey Russian space technologies. It is also reported that Cuba has shown interest in using the Russian Glonass satellite navigation system, which is their equivalent of the American GPS system.
Though the talks to develop a space centre in Cuba may appear to be aimed at annoying the Americans, as some analysts fear, NASA and Washington may have to tread carefully in the matter as NASA looks almost certain to fall back on Russian space craft to take astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and transport supplies into space as it persists with the retirement programme of its space shuttle fleet.
Officially, the space shuttle fleet retires in 2010, which means that there will be a four or five year time gap, until the Orion programme comes into operation, where NASA will be unable to send astronauts into orbit without assistance. In this period, NASA will have to either forgo sending supplies or men into space entirely, or rely on Russia to pick up the burden.
Before tensions between the two nations erupted over the conflict in Georgia, the US was working on a plan to pay Russia millions by way of transportation fees.
Geo-political tensions are now compelling American politicians to rethink the proposed deal.
Re: Russia in talks with Cuba, Venezuela on joint use of Glonass satellites
Venezuela, Cuba to jointly use Glonass :Russia Moscow | Rabu, Sep 24 2008 IST
Russia, Cuba and Venezuela are conducting talks on the joint use of Glonass navigation satellites, the head of the Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) Anatoly Perminov said here after his return from the visit of Latin American countries. ''I have just returned from a working visit to Cuba.
They are very interested in cooperating with us in the use of the Glonass system, which will cover the globe by 2010,'' Mr Perminov told RIA Novosti. He said Moscow and Havana were working on a space cooperation agreement and have considered ways of jointly using earth remote sensing satellites.
Mr Perminov said Russia would like to station several ground-based space communication facilities in Venezuela, stressing that they would have no military application. Russia recently said it intended to share its space technology with Cuba, and has begun discussions on building a space centre in the country.
Glonass (Global Navigation is the Russian equivalent of the US (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use, and allows users to identify their positions in real time.
Russia plans to launch six satellites in the next three months to increase the existing Glonass grouping to 18-19 spacecraft.
- Russian Military Employs Glonass Navigation System for Missile Targeting and Acquisition, Satellite Network Fully Operational as of September 2010
- Cuba: Soviet Base for Electronic Warfare in the Western Hemisphere, Island Boasts Second Largest Number of SIGINT Facilities in World--After USA
Following the Soviet communists’ long-range plan for global domination, the Putinist regime is closing ranks with its three most reliable allies in Latin America: Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Individually or even together, of course, the Havana-Caracas-Managua troika poses no threat to the USA. However, since Russia, or Red China for that matter, could conceivably use Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela as platforms to launch military attacks against North America, relations between the two communist superpowers and their Latin American client states should be monitored closely.
The Soviet Union did not hesitate to use Cuba as a platform to stage a potential ballistic missile attack against the USA during the early 1960s. The Soviets did not hesitate to drop East Bloc “advisors” and billions of dollars of arms into Nicaragua during the first Sandinista dictatorship in the 1980s. Since the KGB-managed demise of the Soviet Union, the Russians have not hesitated to offload four billion dollars worth of tanks, missiles, fighter jets, combat helicopters, and diesel submarines into Venezuela since communist paratrooper Hugo Chavez was elected in 1999. The Moscow-Caracas Axis includes the now-completed construction of two plants in Venezuela for the manufacture of Kalashnikov assault rifles and their ammunition.
Grenada is no longer a tool for the Soviet strategists, thanks to the US-led invasion in 1983, but its current prime minister has snuggled up to Cuba. Tillman Thomas has also renamed the island’s main airport after deceased Marxist dictator Maurice Bishop. Some infrastructure investment from Red China and Venezuela, furthermore, is taking place on the island.
At this blog we have repeatedly made reference to the on-site control that hundreds of Cuban “advisors” exercise in the Venezuelan military, security, and intelligence services, as well as Russia’s stated interest in the recently refurbished, Soviet-built, strategic bomber-capable runway in Punta Huete, Nicaragua. In the last two years Russia and Cuba’s top generals have paid official visits to the other’s country. For his part, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega often boasts about the military and police’s loyalty to the socialist principles of the Sandinista Revolution.
Under Putin and Medvedev, Russia has promised to re-equip the Soviet-vintage militaries of Cuba and Nicaragua, Russia’s air defense commander has inspected and promised to upgrade Cuban air defenses, Russia has pledged to train Cuban soldiers and Nicaraguan police, the Russian Air Force has floated the idea of re-fueling its bombers in Cuba and Venezuela, and the Russian Navy has made friendly ports of call in Cuba and Nicaragua, not to mention carried out a joint exercise with its Venezuelan counterpart in late 2008. Of course, Cuba and Nicaragua, unlike Venezuela, are strapped for cash and Ortega is employing every dirty trick in the communist playbook to legitimize next year’s re-election bid. Thus, we have yet to see Russian-built armament once again pour into Cuba and Central America.
During the Cold War and since Cuba has supplied the Soviet Union and Russia with signals intelligence (SIGINT) collected from North American communications, both civilian and military. According to Manuel Cerejo, who wrote an article “Cuba and Information Warfare” in the early 2000s, “Cuba probably now has more facilities for intercepting foreign satellite communications than any other country in the world, except the United States.” SIGINT bases are known to exist at Bejucal, Wajay, Santiago de Cuba, and Paseo.
Most of these systems were inherited from the Soviet Union in the 1980s. However, Russia maintained a SIGINT base at Lourdes until January 2002. Then President Vladimir Putin announced the decision to withdraw the Russian personnel staffing the facility barely a month after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Not so coincidentally, Putin visited Havana in 2000, the first time a Russian leader carried out official business in Cuba since the “demise” of Soviet communism nine years before. In early 1999 the People’s Republic of China opened SIGINT bases in Bejucal and Santiago de Cuba. The former specializes in intercepting US telephone communications and computer data traffic, while the latter specializes in intercepting US military satellite communications.
Using a jamming system purchased from Russian company Aviaconversia, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (FAR) has also developed limited capabilities for disrupting US satellite communication and the US military’s satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS), which is essential for missile targeting and acquisition. The FAR established a Counter-Electronic Warfare Department in 1992. Using SIGINT facilities based at Lourdes and the Cuban embassy in Baghdad, the Cuban military command carefully assessed the US Armed Forces’ performance in Iraq in 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, and ten years later in Afghanistan, during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Cerejo contends that “Cuba is home to the most virulent computer hackers in the world,” many of whom are dedicated to destroying NATO computer networks. In 1997 the FAR’s Central Military Commission set up an elite, 100-member corps tasked with devising “ways to planting disabling computer viruses into American and other Western command and control defense systems.” In 2000 the Cuban brass set up a strategic information warfare (IW) unit, dubbed Net Force by US military analysts, designed to “wage combat through computer networks to manipulate enemy information systems spanning spare parts deliveries to fire control and guidance systems.” Cuban IW units, continues Cerejo:
have reportedly developed “detailed procedures,” for Internet warfare, including software for network scanning, obtaining passwords and breaking codes, and stealing data; information-paralyzing software, information-blocking software, and information-deception software; and software for affecting counter-measures. These procedures have been tested in recent field exercises. Cuban radio spectrum management officials have declared that Cuba has capabilities of intercepting satellite up-link signals.
In summary, when the Soviet strategists decide that the time is ripe to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the USA, they will without question rely heavily on electronic data gathered by SIGINT bases in Cuba. Mohammed Atta’s secret meeting with a high-level Cuban defense official in Miami and the not-so-coincidental presence of Russian strategic bombers over the Arctic Ocean during the 911 skyjackings suggest that this scenario has already been tested.
The publicized integration of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua into the Russian military’s satellite-based Glonass navigation system, the counterpart to the US Armed Forces’ GPS, reveals that the Communist Bloc is very much alive and well. Both Glonass and GPS enable users to plot their own or enemy positions and targets, in the case of military users, within a few meters. The most recent comments from the Kremlin concern Havana’s access to Glonass. On September 15, Mikhail Kamynin, Russia’s ambassador to Cuba, acknowledged: “Our plans include a detailed work on connecting Cuba to the Glonass system.”
The Soviet Defense Ministry originally developed Glonass in the 1980s for missile targeting and acquisition. Glonass development was suspended in 1991, when the Soviet Union “collapsed,” but was revived in 2001. The Russian military presently uses Glonass chips in smart weapons and the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which was designed and manufactured in concert with strategic partner India. The BrahMos has a range of 180 miles and a maximum speed of Mach 2.8, which is three times faster than the US Tomahawk. This cruise missile can deliver a 660 pound conventional warhead and engage targets from an altitude as low as 30 feet.
On September 2 a Proton-M rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying three more Glonass satellites into orbit (pictured above). There they joined 23 others, although two are non-operational. The Russian Space Forces, a branch of the Russian Armed Forces, operates the satellites and requires 24 functioning satellites to provide worldwide navigation service. Between now and the end of 2010 the Russian Space Forces will launch two more Proton-M rockets, placing six more Glonass satellites into orbit, but the network is already fully operational.
The fact that the Russian military is anxious to include the Havana-Caracas-Managua Axis in its Glonass network is significant in the light of a future confrontation with the USA. The fact that last year Kremlin front company Yota brought wireless Internet service to neo-Sandinista Nicaragua in a rapid three-month installation project is not insignificant too. Wireless Internet has important C3 applications at the tactical/battlefield level. The fact that the People’s Republic of China, Russia’s main ally, is openly promoting military cooperation with insurgency-wracked Mexico should be examined accordingly.
For 20 years Western governments have mistakenly believed that communism is no longer a threat. Hence, strategic moves in the Western Hemisphere by Russia and Red China are no longer perceived as dangerous to America’s survival.
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The Russian government intends to restore the military-technical support of their ships at the former military base in Cam Ranh (Vietnam), Lourdes (Cuba) and the Seychelles. So far, this is not about plans for a military presence, but rather the restoration of the crew resources. However, a solid contractual basis should be developed for these plans.
The intentions were announced on July 27 by the Russian Navy Commander Vice Admiral Viktor Chirkov. "At the international level, the creation of logistics points in Cuba, the Seychelles and Vietnam is being worked out," Chirkov was quoted by the media. The issue was specifically discussed at the meeting with the leaders of all countries. President of Vietnam Truong Tan Sang has recently held talks with Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev in Moscow and President Putin in Sochi. Cuban leader Raul Castro met with Putin in Moscow earlier this month. A little earlier the President of the Republic of Seychelles, James Michel made an unequivocal statement.
"We will give Russia the benefits in Cam Ranh, including the development of military cooperation," the President of Vietnam told the media. Cuba that has an American military base in Guantanamo Bay and is protesting against the deployment of new U.S. bases in Colombia, of course, wants to acquire an ally in Russia to be able to contain the United States. Seychelles in the Indian Ocean has always been in the zone of Soviet influence. In 1981, the Soviet Navy helped the government to prevent the military coup and before the collapse of the USSR the Soviets had a constant presence in the area. In June of 2012, at the opening of an Orthodox church in the capital city of Victoria, James Michel spoke of Russia's role in combating piracy and supported the Russian idea to build a pier in the port of Victoria, designed for the reception of the Navy warships of Russian Federation.
Following the statement by Vice-Admiral, Russian Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry made it clear that they were talking about rest and replenishment of the crews after the campaign in the area and not military bases. It is clear, however, that Russian warships could do both without special arrangements, given the good attitudes of the leaders of these countries toward Russia. It can be assumed that the Russian Admiral unwittingly gave away far-reaching plans of the Russian leadership. That would be great, because from the time of Peter the Great, Russia had a strong fleet and army. In addition, it is worth mentioning Putin's statement at the G20 meeting in June. After the meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, Putin made a sudden harsh statement to the press.
"In 2001 I, as the President of the Russian Federation and the supreme commander, deemed it advantageous to withdraw the radio-electronic center Lourdes from Cuba. In exchange for this, George Bush, the then U.S. president, has assured me that this decision would become the final confirmation that the Cold War was over and both of our states, getting rid of the relics of the Cold War, will start building a new relationship based on cooperation and transparency. In particular, Bush has convinced me that the U.S. missile defense system will never be deployed in Eastern Europe.
The Russian Federation has fulfilled all terms of the agreement. And even more. I shut down not only the Cuban Lourdes but also Kamran in Vietnam. I shut them down because I gave my word of honor. I, like a man, has kept my word. What have the Americans done? The Americans are not responsible for their own words. It is no secret that in recent years, the U.S. created a buffer zone around Russia, involving in this process not only the countries of Central Europe, but also the Baltic states, Ukraine and the Caucasus. The only response to this could be an asymmetric expansion of the Russian military presence abroad, particularly in Cuba. In Cuba, there are convenient bays for our reconnaissance and warships, a network of the so-called "jump airfields." With the full consent of the Cuban leadership, on May 11 of this year, our country has not only resumed work in the electronic center of Lourdes, but also placed the latest mobile strategic nuclear missiles "Oak" on the island. They did not want to do it the amicable way, now let them deal with this," Putin said.
It is obvious that Russia will not stop simply at "resting" their sailors in the area. Now back to the statement of Chirkov. Americans have not officially resented it. For example, the Pentagon spokesman George Little said that Russia had the right to enter into military agreements and relationships with other countries, as does the United States, according to France Press Agency. The reason is simple: American analysts believe that Russia now cannot afford to create its own military bases.
The Americans talk about Russia's lack of influence, money and the actual fleet. Western media quoted an "independent expert on the defense" in Moscow Paul Fengelgauer. He said that Russia does not have the necessary naval resources to provide constant presence outside its territorial waters, as it has only 30 major warships that serve five fleets. Therefore, the possibility of placing an additional station does not mean the expansion of sea power in Russia. This is largely an objective assessment. But since the crisis in the West in 2008, Russia began to recover part of its navy. The loss was not that great - about a quarter of the Soviet reserve. Another thing is that we should talk about the modernization of the fleet. There is much to maintain. On Thursday, Chirkov said that this year Russia's naval forces can be replenished with another 10-15 warships, including destroyers and nuclear submarines.
As for the influence, judging by the words of the Russian President, Russia is also actively growing in this regard, although work in this direction has only begun. As we can see, Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans are involved. This is due not only to geopolitical reasons, but the growing economic presence of Russia in the regions. For example, "Gazprom" is actively working on offshore Vietnam. In the Caribbean, it also participates in the construction of Meso-American pipeline and field development in Venezuela. An ammunition plant is under construction in Cuba.
However, one should start with a solid contractual basis. Take, for example, agreements on mutual defense that the U.S. has with the Philippines, Japan, Colombia, and Mexico. In the presence of such agreements military bases cannot be challenged as a military expansion. Russia has room to grow - of the 16 operating in the Soviet era military bases today there is only one left - Tartus in Syria, or two, if we consider the base in Sevastopol.
Lyuba Lulko
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Cuba's army is small, but highly trained, according to military experts. (Reuters)
Cuban military operatives reportedly have been spotted in Syria, where sources believe they are advising President Bashar al-Assad’s soldiers and may be preparing to man Russian-made tanks to aid Damascus in fighting rebel forces backed by the U.S.
Gen. Leopoldo Cintra Frias, head of Cuba's Armed Forces, recently visited Syria to lead a group of Cuban military personnel joining forces with Russia in their support of Assad, according to information received by the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies.
On Wednesday, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that Cuban paramilitary and special forces units are on the ground in Syria, citing evidence from intelligence reports. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Cuban troops may have been training in Russia and may have arrived in Syria on Russian planes.
" ... it would indicate that General Raul Castro is more interested in supporting his allies, Russia and Syria, than in continuing to normalize relations with the U.S."
- Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, University of Miami
An Arab military officer at the Damascus airport reportedly witnessed two Russian planes arrive there with Cuban military personnel on board. When the officer questioned the Cubans, they told him they were there to assist Assad because they are experts at operating Russian tanks, according to Jaime Suchlicki, the institute's executive director.
"It doesn't surprise me," Suchlicki told FoxNews.com, noting Russia's long history of supplying military equipment to Cuba as well as Cuba's assistance in Soviet-led operations in Africa the 1970's.
"They have a very close relationship," Suchlicki said. "The Russians have been training the Cubans for years and supplying them with all sorts of military equipment."
Syria's bloody civil war is in its fourth year and has so far cost an estimated 250,000 people their lives and sparked a humanitarian crisis as displaced refugees flee the embattled nation. The U.S. has called for the ouster of dictator Assad, and is supporting a rebel group known as the Free Syrian Army. But ISIS and Al Qaeda offshoot Al Nusra are also present in Syria, battling Assad, the FSA and each other. Russia, Iran and now apparently Cuba are helping Assad in his bid to maintain power.
Cuba's military is ranked the world's 110th most powerful by the site globalfirepower.com. While small, the Cuban military is "very well-trained," according to Suchlicki, who said their presence in Syria is a "departure from what the U.S. expected."
President Obama earlier this year removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, seeking to normalize relations between the two countries. The U.S. cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 after Fidel Castro's revolution. The U.S. spent decades trying to either actively overthrow the Cuban government or isolate the island, including toughening the economic embargo first imposed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The U.S. Embassy in Havana reopened in July 2015.
"Yes, there are those who want to turn back the clock and double down on a policy of isolation," Obama said at the time, "but it's long past time for us to realize that this approach doesn't work. It hasn't worked for 50 years."
"This is a historic step forward in our efforts to normalize relations with the Cuban government and people, and begin a new chapter with our neighbors in the Americas," Obama said in July from the White House Rose Garden.
The U.S. official described Cuban's involved in Syria as similar to the "Cuba-Angola arrangement" -- a reference to Cuban troops operating on behalf of the Soviets in several central African countries in the 1970's. Cuba also sent troops to Syria in 1973 to support them in the Yom Kippur War against Israel and deployed officers to observe Israeli military tactics.
The official could not confirm whether Cuba's top general is in Syria, or if Cuban forces are manning Russian tanks provided to Assad by Russia.
"If this information about the presence of Cuban troops in Syria now is confirmed, it would indicate that General Raul Castro is more interested in supporting his allies, Russia and Syria, than in continuing to normalize relations with the U.S.," the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies said in a statement Tuesday.
"Raul Castro has expressed publicly his support for the Syrian regime and his solidarity with Russian and Iranian objectives in the Middle East," the group said. "This new Cuban internationalism reaffirms one more time that the Castro’s brothers are more interested in their role in the world in opposition to the U.S. than in modernizing Cuba and helping the Cuban people rise above their current misery."
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Cuba once again, as in Soviet times, asks help from Russia. And, as in Soviet times, it is about oil, and with a big discount. The main energy supplier to the island – Venezuela – can no longer provide supplies. Should Russia to meet old ally and what you would ask in return.
The Chairman of state Council and Council of Ministers of Cuba Raul Castro addressed the Russian President with a request to consider the establishment of a stable supply of oil and petroleum products to the island.
“Russia is interested in building naval and medical cooperation with Cuba”
Castro has complained to Vladimir Putin that Cuba had difficulties with deliveries from Venezuela. This forced Cuba to enter the international market to meet domestic needs, reported “Interfax” a source familiar with the appeal of Raul Castro to Vladimir Putin. In this regard, Cuba has adopted “restrictive measures in the application of energy” – in other words, the country began a shortage of gasoline.
Cuba wants the supply of oil and oil products from Russia were organized on the “favorable funding conditions”. According to the source, the appeal had to be worked out by the Ministry of energy, Ministry of economic development, Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of transport and the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Russia until August 31. However, until the decision on the part of Russia was not made public.
Due to the fall in oil prices, Venezuela was in a vulnerable position. The country’s economy is heavily dependent on oil, exports of which were given to 95% of foreign exchange earnings. In Venezuela a lot of oil, but it is almost all heavy and extra heavy. This means that the cost of its production is extremely high, and to produce it at world prices to $ 40-50 per barrel is unprofitable. The country itself barely survives, and was not able to help Cuba.
Venezuela – a major trading partner of Cuba. In the framework of the Alliance Petrocaribe (Petrocaribe) from 2005 Venezuela supplies oil and oil products to Cuba (and other countries of Central America and the Caribbean). Under the program, buyers of Venezuelan oil to pay for it, only 48% of “real” money. The balance is paid off within 25 years with an annual rate of one percent. Some countries, in particular Cuba, in part to pay Venezuela in goods and services. For example, Cuba in exchange for oil was provided the opportunity to use their medical system, one of the best in the world.
Literally at the end of July the Venezuelan state company PDVSA, which provides oil to Cuba, assured that he is not going to reduce supply. The representative of the state-owned company tried to deny the rumors at that time in the market. It was reported that PDVSA during the first half of 2016 have reduced oil exports to Cuba by 40%. It was also reported about the problems at the refinery of Cienfuegos. Assured by that this is some technical and engineering problems faced by all plants. “We will close certain areas of the plant during the year for 120 days to address these concerns and to update some processes,” the official said.
Nevertheless, if we are to believe Castro, Cuba still receives less oil from Venezuela. However, due to the secrecy of both economies is not clear, stopped Venezuela fully supplies or talking about their serious decline.
In Cuba there are refineries, which processed the Venezuelan oil, which is already in the form of petroleum products is exported, due to this, the country enters the currency. By the way, Havana got these three oil refineries in the Soviet Union. Sale of petroleum products, as well as the work of Cuban doctors are the main sources of foreign exchange earnings of the country, and after they are already cash transfers to relatives and tourism.
It is clear that Venezuelan oil supplies to Cuba were favorable, Castro never paid for it the real market price. So now Cuba is not willing to buy oil on the open market. In other words, Russia should not expect Cuba real prices for oil. So does it make sense to go to Havana to meet?
“I think that no response to the initiative of Cuba, we will not leave. We contribute to the resolution of the energy deficit,” – said Deputy Director General of national energy security Fund Alexander Pasechnik. Another question – in what form will be provided assistance and that Russia will be able to answer?
If it is only temporary disruption of supplies from Venezuela, Russia can provide oil in the form of humanitarian aid. However, problems in Venezuela, apparently, are of a protracted nature. They can only help the high price of oil, and when they grow up – is the big question. And Castro says it is about stable supplies.
“If you organize the supply of oil to Cuba on an industrial scale at a reduced price, then it can be done only within the framework of the swap supply in partnership with one of our partners, whose location in relation to Cuba is more convenient,” – says beekeeper.
Direct deliveries from Russia is very expensive, primarily because of logistics. Besides the excess of oil from Russia is actually there.“Russia has no problems with oil exports. There is always the possibility to sell it. Therefore, delivering its oil directly to Cuba, we are, in fact, replaced some other direction,” – said the Director of the energy development Fund Sergey Pikin. For Russia is the loss of foreign exchange earnings.
Might be a better resale Cuba oil, procured somewhere near the island. Of course, you have to do it at a loss. “Now warmer relations between Cuba and the United States. It may make sense to buy oil in America. Where the oil is cheaper, and it will reduce costs, including logistics and transport,” – said pikine.
“Obviously, this is pure financial aid to Cuba. Therefore, the decision is political. The company that will do it, and this is likely to be Rosneft or Zarubezhneft, which operate in Cuba will have in response to any preferential treatment,” – says Sergey Pikin.
In terms of energy, Russian companies already feel comfortable enough in Cuba. Moreover, Russia is the main investor. Therefore, in exchange for oil supplies at a discounted price Moscow, most likely, want to get dividends in other areas.
For example, Rosneft is considering the possibility to join the project of oil exploration on the Cuban shelf. It is assumed that the shelf is not less than 630 million tons of oil reserves and 280 billion cubic meters of gas and 120 million tons of gas condensate. However, with the exploration of these reserves were the problem. In Cuba there is also a “inter RAO UES”, which signed a contract for the construction of four power units of 200 MW each on two Cuban thermal power plant (2022-2024.). Hydropower Cuba wanted to deal with RusHydro.
The call number of bilateral economic projects – reconstruction of the “inter RAO” Cuban TPP “MAXIMO Gomez and East Havana” upgrade “METALLURGMASH” metallurgical plant “Antillana de Acero”, financed by the Russian direct investment Fund create a transport hub on the site of the air base of San Antonio de Los baños, as well as the construction of an international airport and modernization of the Mariel seaport.
In addition, among such projects – the development of Zarubezhneft, together with the Cuban oil company “Cupet” field Boca de Haruko.
Russia is interested in building naval and medical cooperation with Cuba. Earlier, defense Minister Sergei Shoigu expressed gratitude to the Cuban side for the reception, provided by Russian ships during the port of Havana. Also, Russia has accumulated rich experience in training of Cuban military personnel in military schools. Last year it was reported that Russia may resume operation of radio-electronic reconnaissance center, located in the suburbs of Havana, Lourdes. At one time there were also reports that Russia will reopen in Cuba, a military center, reminiscent of the head of the laboratory of Institute of Latin America Victor Semenov. “The Russian military ships can refuel on liberty Island, the sailors can relax there. Perhaps Cuba will be able to offer Russia participation in joint economic projects”, – the expert believes.
And, of course, in exchange for oil supplies at a discount Russia can count on continued political support to the Havana on the international stage.
Russia still considers Cuba its strategic partner, so the appeal of Castro to Putin, and not Obama, such a request is not surprising, says Semenov. It is unlikely that Washington would satisfy a similar request of Havana.
“Remember when Obama wanted to Pat Castro on the shoulder, and he pulled? The friendship between Washington and Havana yet, improving only grope,” Semenov said the newspaper VIEW. The analyst expressed his confidence: even if Cuba will become “very difficult,” the United States will not help her. “The United States will start to put Cuba political conditions. But with Moscow, from Havana all established, we have a good relationship. Her safer to deal with Russia, which wrote off her debt and trying to find on liberty Island oil field”, – he reminded.
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Russia to reopen Cold War base in Cuba as tensions with US rise
Concern has been raised among the West that the plans are Russian retaliation after the US announced it was pulling out of the bilateral Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
According to The Jamestown Foundation – a Washington DC-based institute for research and analysis, founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors – the re-opening of the base would "duplicate rather than significantly add to Russian abilities to monitor US activities in the Caribbean".
But the think-tank warns: "If the Kremlin leader should decide to establish additional bases in Cuba, as some Russian commentators are now suggesting, that would be a different matter altogether—particularly if he succeeds in this goal."
THREAT: Putin could be re-opening several bases in Cuba (Pic: GETTY)
SOVIET: The base opened under the Soviet era and closes in 2002 (Pic: GETTY)
The move by Russian president Vladimir Putin comes with strengthening ties between Moscow and Havana.
Cuban president Miguel D*az-Canel met with Putin in Moscow and said he wanted to give “a new impulse” to bilateral relations.
The leaders discussed matters such as healthcare and tourism, but also military cooperation as well.
The Jamestown Foundation added: "This led to speculation in both Russia and the West that this meant Moscow was about to reopen the Lourdes monitoring site that it closed 16 years ago, and possibly open additional bases on the island as well."
This was coupled with Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, who oversees Russia’s military-industrial complex and military-technical relations with foreign countries, visiting Cuba.
The two countries agreed on contracts worth more than $265million in the military sphere alone, according to Russian paper Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
Russian military expert who served in Cuba in the 1980s, Lieutenant Colonel Aleksandr Ovchinnikov, said “the deepening of cooperation between Moscow and Havana was entirely expected".
He added it is especially so given US President Donald Trump's threat to leave the INF treaty.
Russia: Putin warns he will target nations hosting US missiles
RESOURCES: Russia may not have the resources to develop 'major bases' (Pic: GETTY)
MISSILE CRISIS: The opening of bases in Cuba is more worrying because of history (Pic: GETTY) But he stressed that the Kremlin may not have the resources to develop any "major military bases in Cuba".
The 1987 INF treaty means neither Russia nor the US is allowed to build ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500km (310 to 3,417miles).
But the US claims Russia has been violating the deal by building a new cruise missile.
And now it looks like the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) is caput, sparking fears of a new arms race between the superpowers.
The location of Putin opening bases on Cuba is especially alarming over the memory of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis in which the USSR was caught trying to ship nuclear missiles to Cuba - which is only 780km (484miles) from mainland America.
The incident is generally considered to be one of the most major crises in the Cold War and the closest that the two superpowers came to all-out nuclear war.
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Re: Russia finalize plans to integrate Cuba and Venezuela into Russian Strategic Forc
World Events Live (@IdeologyWars) tweeted at 0:12 PM on Tue, Dec 04, 2018:
#UPDATE: #Russia could deploy intermediate range missiles (IRBM) to Latin America if INF treaty is terminated, to list a few nations these weapons could be moved to are #Venezuela and #Cuba. -Gage https://t.co/fGqze2DMw8
(https://twitter.com/IdeologyWars/sta...988709889?s=03)
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BY: Bill Gertz
Free Beacon
December 10, 2018 4:59 am
Russia is deploying nuclear-capable Tu-160 Blackjack bombers to Venezuela this week as part of an increasingly provocative pattern of bomber training flights, according to American defense officials.
At least two Blackjacks will fly from a strategic forces air base in Russia to Venezuela as part of a series of training exercises that will include long-range refueling, said officials familiar with Russian plans for the flight.
The bomber foray to South America will be Russia's seventh training flight for Blackjack bombers in the past three months.
Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon official and specialist on the Russian military, said Tu-160 flights are unusual and increasing.
"There were six announced Tu-160 flights of the ‘provocative' type during the last three months, which is a lot," Schneider said.
The most recent incident took place near Norway in late October when Tu-160s were shadowed by British and Norwegian jet fighters over the Barents Sea.
Additionally, Russian forces utilized both Tu-160 and Tu-95 bombers during a recent strategic nuclear forces drill, and the Defense Ministry announced that the recent Ocean Shield exercise in the Mediterranean involved Blackjacks that were described by the Russian defense ministry as involving undisclosed new tactics.
"The announced Tu-160 flight over the North Pole is also unusual as well as clearly aimed at us," Schneider said. In August, two Blackjacks flew to the North Pole.
The Pentagon is expected to closely monitor the Blackjacks because of their potential to fire nuclear-armed cruise missiles at U.S. targets. A Pentagon spokesman could not be reached for comment Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in January 2018 that the military is investing $2.8 billion to modernize the Tu-160 fleet with new engines and advanced avionics.
Putin recently stepped up threatening rhetoric against the United States following the announcement by the Trump administration that it will pull out of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty over Moscow's violations of the accord.
Russia used Tu-160s in Syria in firing long-range cruise missiles.
In March, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov announced the Tu-160, a supersonic jet that is the largest combat aircraft in the world, is undergoing a major upgrade and carries nuclear-tipped KH-55 cruise missiles, as well as conventional KH-555 and KH-101 conventional cruise missiles.
"We are going to … carry out deep modernization of the planes [that are currently] in service when only the fuselage would remain while all the avionics equipment and engines would be replaced," Borisov said.
"One cannot even compare the Tu-160 aircraft equipped with the X-55, X-555, and X-101 missiles and a plane that we are hoping to get by 2030 equipped with new air-delivered ordnance that would have completely different effective distance," Borisov added.
At least five upgraded Tu-160s are currently deployed, along with 11 older variants.
The Russians dispatched two Blackjacks to Venezuela in September 2008 as part of a training mission in support of Venezuela's leftist then-President Hugo Chavez.
The latest flights are expected to be similar to those in 2008, when the bombers conducted training flights over international waters near Venezuela.
Disclosure of the bomber flights comes as Venezuela is experiencing political and economic crisis under the regime of President Nicolas Maduro that has become increasingly dependent on Russia for aid.
Maduro visited Moscow last week and was promised an estimated $6 billion in investment pledges in the oil and mining sectors aimed at propping up the regime in Caracas and its collapsing economy.
Maduro said Moscow also promised to help modernize Venezuela's military.
Defense ministers from the two countries met in Moscow last week and agreed that Russian air force and naval forces would continue to use Venezuelan ports and airports.
Russian officials, however, played down expectations of a major bailout for Venezuela, the Financial Times reported Monday.
The Russian state oil company Rosneft previously lent $6 billion to Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov last week declined to comment on the new aid package for Venezuela but said: "A whole range of issues related to bilateral co-operation has been discussed. There is no doubt that Russia will continue supporting Venezuela to one degree or another."
Russia has sought closer ties to the anti-U.S. regime in Venezuela in response to U.S.-led sanctions against Moscow for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea.
Russian chief of the general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, said recently that in response to U.S. missile defenses Russia will be upgrading its nuclear forces, including equipping its current strategic bombers by expanding their range of weapons.
"In the next several months I expect additional threats including more bomber provocations and possibly significant military action against Ukraine," Schneider said.
"Normally in December they release a lot of information about their plans for the nuclear Strategic Missile Force. I expect they will make this as threatening as possible. I believe there will be more provocative bomber flights."
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MOSCOW (AP) — Two Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers arrived in Venezuela on Monday, a deployment that comes amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said a pair Tu-160 bombers landed at Maiquetia airport outside Caracas on Monday following a 10,000-kilometer (6,200-mile) flight. It didn’t say if the bombers were carrying any weapons and didn’t say how long they will stay in Venezuela.
The ministry said a heavy-lift An-124 Ruslan cargo plane and an Il-62 passenger plane accompanied the bombers to Maiquetia.
The Tu-160 is capable of carrying conventional or nuclear-tipped cruise missiles with a range of 5,500 kilometers (3,410 miles). Such bombers took part in Russia’s campaign in Syria, where they launched conventionally-armed Kh-101 cruise missiles for the first time in combat.
The bombers’ deployment follows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to Moscow last week in a bid to shore up political and economic assistance even as his country has been struggling to pay billions of dollars owed to Russia.
Russia is a major political ally of Venezuela, which has become increasingly isolated in the world under growing sanctions led by the U.S. and the European Union, which accuse Maduro of undermining democratic institutions to hold onto power, while overseeing an economic and political crisis that is worse than the Great Depression.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at last week’s meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart Vladimir Padrino Lopez that Russia would continue to send its military aircraft and warships to visit Venezuela as part of bilateral military cooperation.
Russia sent its Tu-160 strategic bombers and a missile cruiser to visit Venezuela in 2008 amid tensions with the U.S. after Russia’s brief war with Georgia. A pair of Tu-160s also visited Venezuela in 2013.
Russia-U.S. relations are currently at post-Cold War lows over Ukraine, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. Russia has bristled at U.S. and other NATO allies deploying their troops and weapons near its borders.
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#BREAKING Venezuela and Russia will hold joint air force exercises, says the defense minister of the sanctions-hit South American country pic.twitter.com/y3yiKsq85Y
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu expressed hope that Russian aircraft will continue landing at Venezuela’s airfields with naval fleets being serviced in the South American country’s ports, during unscheduled talks with his Venezuelan counterpart Vladimir Padrino Lopez in Moscow on Thursday.
“We do a good job in the field of education and in providing opportunities for our aircraft to make landings and our fleet to be serviced at airfields and in the ports of Venezuela. I think we will continue with it," said Shoigu noting that such military cooperation favours the interests of both Venezuela and Russia.
Speaking after the talks, the Venezuelan Minister of Defence noted that to date Russia and Venezuela have achieved certain results in the bilateral military engagement since the onset of the military relationship during the term of Former President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez.
“At this stage, the armed forces and services of the armed forces of the Republic of Venezuela have risen to an appropriate level and is quite prestigious. All this was done thanks to the support of the Russian Federation,” said Lopez.
He added that the Venezuelan armed forces’ level of preparation meets “the modern doctrine” and enables “to maintain peace and order” in Venezuela. It is the third time Lopez has arrived in Moscow as a member of the Venezuelan delegation headed by President Nicolas Maduro.
Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers, an An-124 transport and an Il-62 plane have carried out a 10,000-kilometer flight from Russia to Venezuela, being shadowed by Norwegian F16s along the way, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The flight of the Russian air group was conducted over the Atlantic Ocean, the Barents Sea, the Sea of Norway and the Caribbean Sea. “During some parts of the route, the Tu-160 bombers were escorted by the F16s of the Norwegian Air Force,” the ministry said.
Moscow pointed out that the impressive journey was performed “in strict accordance with the international regulations on the use of airspace.”
The planes landed at the Simon Bolivar International Airport outside Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, on Monday. Venezuelan Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, was among the officials greeting the Russian aviators at the landing field.
Lopez also said that the Tu-160s will perform joint flights with Venezuela’s Air Force, without elaborating on the program, or the drills, any further. Pentagon sources told US media that the Russian exercise will also include refueling in the air.
“Nobody in the world” should be afraid of the presence of Russian bombers in Venezuela because Caracas and Moscow “are builders of peace, not war,” the minister said as cited by local El Universal paper.
Lopez also said that a delegation from Moscow is expected to arrive in the country to help the Venezuelan military to optimize the use of Russian military equipment.
The Russian planes traveled to Venezuela less than a week after the country’s President Nicolas Maduro visited Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin.
It’s not the first time the Tu-160s (NATO reporting name ‘Blackjack’) are seen in Venezuela as the strategic bombers already visited it in 2008 and 2013.
Last week, Russia’s Defense Minister, Sergey Shoigu, that such flights will continue and that Russian Navy vessels will also dock at Venezuelan ports.
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Russia’s strategic bombers in Venezuela serve “to remind the United States that Russia can still project military might into the Western Hemisphere”https://t.co/j0lhk0F1GF
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Russia has decided to develop a long-term military presence in the Caribbean in conjunction with the socialist nation of Venezuela, on one of its islands in the Caribbean Sea. The move seems to be a response to the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The recent flights of Russian Tu-160 long-range nuclear bombers are part of this effort.
“According to military envoys, Russian authorities have made a decision (and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro did not object) to deploy strategic aircraft to one of Venezuela’s islands in the Caribbean Sea, which has a naval base and a military airfield. Ten years ago, Russian experts and Armed Forces commanders had already visited the island of La Orchila, located 200 kilometers northeast of Caracas. Venezuelan laws prohibit the setup of military bases in the country, but a temporary deployment of warplanes is possible,” reported Russian state news agency TASS.
“It is the right idea to include Venezuela in long-range aviation missions,” military expert Colonel Shamil Gareyev told the Russian newspaper Novaya Gozeta, adding that it was also economically reasonable. “Our strategic bombers will not only not have to return to Russia every time, but also won’t perform aerial refueling while on a patrol mission in the Americas.
Our Tu-160 aircraft arrive to their base in Venezuela, conduct flights, execute their missions and are then replaced on a rotating basis. This is how it should be done.”
“The arrival of Russia’s Tu-160 strategic bombers to Central America is kind of a signal to Trump to make him realize that abandoning nuclear disarmament treaties will have a boomerang effect,” added another Russian military expert.
As the geopolitical reset after the disastrous years of the Obama administration continues, the West can expect more chest thumping from the Kremlin.
This development could only increase the Trump administration’s focus on regime change in Caracas as the people continue to suffer immensely under Venezuelan President Maduro and his socialist policies which have destroyed the oil-rich nation’s economy.
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Russian media outlets are reporting that the Kremlin is planning to establish a forward outpost on the Venezuelan island of La Orchila in the Caribbean Sea and base nuclear-capable Tu-160 Blackjack bombers, two of which just wrapped up a recent deployment to the country, at the site. If true, this could help bolster the embattled regime of Venezuela’s dictatorial president Nicolás Maduro and would significantly change the strategic reality in the Western Hemisphere for the United States.
Russian newspapers Nezavisimaya Gazeta and Kommersantboth reported the possible basing deal on Dec. 12, 2018. Russia had sent a pair of Tu-160s to Venezuela on Dec. 10, 2018, and those bombers left the country on Dec. 14, 2018. This was the third visit by these type of aircraft to the Latin American country since 2008 and they conducted a 10-hour long-range patrol in the Caribbean for the first time ever during this trip.
“Our strategic bombers will not only not have to return to Russia every time, but also won't perform aerial refueling while on a patrol mission in the Americas,” retired Colonel Shamil Gareyev, formerly chief of the Uzbekistan Defense Ministry's Operations Department and now a commentator on military affairs, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta. “Our Tu-160 aircraft arrive to [sic] their base in Venezuela, conduct flights, execute their missions and are then replaced on a rotating basis. This is how it should be done.”
So far, there are no details about what the Russian outpost might consist of, what forces might go there and when, and what timeframe the Kremlin and Venezuela might have agreed to for starting the project at all. La Orchila, which sits less than 500 miles from Puerto Rico and less than 1,500 miles from Florida, has significant space for new and expanded military facilities, though, as seen below.
Having a forward base capable of accommodating strategic aircraft would enable Russia to conduct flights near the United States on a regular basis, something it is otherwise largely incapable of doing at present. As it stands now, Russian aircraft are generally only able to fly sorties in the vicinity of Alaska without the commitment of substantial support assets.
For the Kremlin, the imbalance has long been glaring. The Russian government routinely complains about the large number of intelligence-gathering and other missions that Western military aircraft, especially those from the United States, fly near its borders on a regular basis. Google Earth
Satellite imagery of the runway on La Orchila as of 2015. The recent deployment of Blackjacks to Venezuela came after a surge in American aerial activity along Russia’s western flank after the Kremlin launched an unprovoked attack on Ukrainian naval vessels in the Kerch Strait, which separates the Black Sea from the Sea of Azov, on Nov. 25, 2018. The United States and its allies condemned Russia's actions and offered to increase military and other support for Ukraine, to the ire of the Kremlin.
That the Tu-160s have the ability to carry nuclear weapons, including nuclear-armed cruise missiles that give a stand-off capability, would also give the forward location an added deterrent quality, presenting an unprecedented standing strategic threat to the mainland United States within the Western Hemisphere. The outpost could also potentially accommodate other types of combat aircraft, as well as anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles and associated radars and other sensors.
All of this would present potential threats to American warships and combat aircraft operating in the Caribbean during a crisis. China has already had increasing success in denying maritime areas to opponents, including the United States, by using similarly militarized islands in the South China Sea.
Russian MoD
Two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack bombers fly in formation with a Venezuelan F-16B fighter jet in December 2018. It is worth remembering that the Soviet Union’s decision to base nuclear weapons in Cuba in 1962 was driven, in part, by a similar desire for more flexibility and the ability to directly threaten the United States proper. Though there’s no indication that a Russian presence on La Orchila would immediately create the same level of crisis, at least not initially, the U.S. government would almost certainly furiously object to a similarly provocative deployment to Venezuela.
All told, it goes without saying that this could significantly alter the U.S. government’s strategic calculus. This, of course, would be the point.
The United States was quick to decry the brief deployment of the two Tu-160s, and the rest of their supporting force, to Venezuela last week, as well as the Kremlin’s overall support for Maduro. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov chided U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo and others as being “undiplomatic” and “inappropriate.” Russian MoD
A member of the Russian contingent, at right, gives a Venezuelan officer a Tu-160 model after arriving in the country on Dec. 10, 2018. In establishing a more permanent Venezuelan outpost, Russia would gain a foothold it hasn’t had in the Caribbean region since the height of the Cold War and it would also be better able to help shield a friendly regime from outside intervention in the process – a model that has worked particularly well for the Kremlin in defending the Syrian regime of dictator Bashar Al Assad. Though there is no clear evidence to support claims that the U.S. government is actively seeking to overthrow Maduro, the Venezuelan president repeatedly claims that foreign agents from the United States and elsewhere are attempting to destabilize his regime.
Maduro's attacks have only grown amid President Donald Trump regular suggestions that he could launch a military intervention into the country and that his administration has met with potential coup plotters. Maduro, who took power in 2013 after the death of his populist predecessor Hugo Chavez, has overseen the country as it has slid into a massive economic crisis characterized by hyperinflation and shortages of basic necessities. He has responded by consolidating power and cracking down on opposition political parties, who say his domestic policies are to blame. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. All this being said, there is no guarantee that an actual base will ever materialize on La Orchila, which features a runway long enough to accommodate Tu-160 operations, but with limited infrastructure to support regular operations by large combat aircraft. In addition to serving as an outlying Venezuelan military outpost, the island is also a presidential retreat. Rebellious military officers briefly held the late Hugo Chavez captive there during their abortive coup attempt in 2002.
Russia and Venezuela would have to invest significant time and resources they may not have into expanding facilities on the island, especially fuel and weapons storage, as well as and living areas before regular operations could commence. This could be a multi-year endeavor and it is not at all clear how long Maduro might remain in power.
On top of that, the idea of actually deploying nuclear weapons to the base, even temporarily, seems highly unrealistic without massive improvements in security. There is no indication that Russian Tu-160s have carried any weapons whatsoever on their previous visits to the Latin American country.
It is worth noting, however, Russia and Venezuela did discuss a similar arrangement in 2009, which Chavez eventually rejected. However, publicly available satellite imagery shows that between 2009 and 2013, Venezuelan authorities did expand and refurbish the runway, the associated ramp, and other infrastructure on the island, potentially with an eye toward combined operations with the Russian in the future. The present facilities are certainly austere, the base is not bare. Google Earth
The runway turnaround getting expanded in 2009. Google Earth
The same area in 2013, showing the completion of the work. Regardless of whether the outpost becomes a reality, just scheduling more regular deployments of Tu-160s and other strategic aircraft, such as Tu-95 Bear bombers, to Venezuela, as well as using La Orchila as a temporarily staging location for training flights and other aerial activities in the Caribbean, would be a significant development. It is possible that Nezavisimaya Gazeta and Kommersant or their sources misunderstood what they had heard and that the Kremlin is simply planning to increase military cooperation in the near-term.
With Venezuela's crises far from over and Russian relations with the United States at the West at a new low, it is possible that both parties may now see it in both their interests to invest in developing an expanded, shared military presence. How, or even if that involves La Orchila still needs to be confirmed.
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Venezuela’s socialist president Nicolas Maduro did not object to the proposals to host Russian nuclear bombers
By Gerard du Cann
26th December 2018, 10:58 pm
Updated: 27th December 2018, 5:51 pm
By Gerard du Cann
RUSSIA has sent supersonic bombers capable of carrying nukes to a new military base it is setting up in the Caribbean, it has been claimed.
Kremlin plans to establish a base on islands belonging Venezuela were first reported earlier this month amid reports Moscow had struck a deal with the cash-strapped South American nation.
Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino is pictured after the arrival of two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic long-range heavy supersonic bomber aircrafts.
Venezuela’s socialist president Nicolas Maduro did not object to the proposals, according to Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
The deployment will represent the one of the largest postings of the Russian military in the region since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Under Venezuelan law, military bases cannot be established by foreign nations in the country, but a temporary deployment of warplanes is possible.
Maduro and his left-wing administration has an acrimonious relationship with Washington.
Russian military expert Colonel Shamil Gareyev said establishing a long-term presence in Venezuela was an economically sensible decision if more joint exercises are to take place.
"Our strategic bombers will not only not have to return to Russia every time, but also won't perform aerial refueling while on a patrol mission in the Americas,” he added.
Russian military Colonel Eduard Rodyukov said the move was in response to US president Donald Trump’s threat to scrap nuclear treaties.
Military aircraft excitement as footage emerges of the Tupolev Tu-160M plane, Russia’s newest strategic bomber The US recently gave Russia 60 days to comply with a treaty banning the development of intermediate range nuclear missiles or the agreement would be scrapped altogether.
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Russia finalize plans to integrate Cuba and Venezuela into Russian Strategic Forces
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