Russian servicemen, dressed in historical uniform, take part in a military parade rehearsal in Red Square. Reuters
In Crimea, Russia Moved To Throw Off The Cloak Of Defeat -- David Herszenhornm, New York Times
SEVASTOPOL, Crimea — With a single diesel-electric submarine and a hodgepodge of other aging vessels, Russia’s rickety Black Sea Fleet would be no match for the United States’ Sixth Fleet, based in Italy, which boasts the latest in seaborne military technology and has been running drills nearby.
Still, the legendary Russian fleet, whose headquarters have been here since 1783, is within a day’s sailing of the Mediterranean and remains crucial to the Kremlin’s ability to exert strategic influence in the Middle East and beyond.
Safeguarding this maritime muscle may well have been one reason President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia sent armed forces to seize Crimea. But is it possible that the Sevastopol base is just the most concrete manifestation of Russia’s deep interests in Ukraine that the United States and its NATO allies either ignored or forgot as they tried to bind it more tightly with the West?
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My Comment: Being one who is from the Soviet Union .... I can say with a great deal of certainty that after the collapse of the Soviet Union the focus in Russia was on the economy .... not being a super-power. No one had time to feel defeated .... everyone was focused on surviving, to find work, to make money, and to bring food to the table. But while the economic and political system had collapse .... the spirit of the Russian people definitely did not. The shift to a more robust military posture probably started after the second Chechen war and the Beslan school massacre in 2004 .... and definitely after the Russia - Georgian war of 2008. Everyone realized that the Russian military had been neglected in favor of economic reforms .... but the wars in the Caucasus and the terrorism that it had sprung brought back the old Russian fears of war, instability at the borders, and invasion. In return .... the buildup of the Russian military began to what it is today. As to "throwing off the cloak of defeat" .... I do not know if the Russians ever felt defeated .... I know that I never did.
1 comment:
Your comment answered several questions about Russia I've had for awhile. I really think the western press and governments have been misreading Russia's economy and military for sometime now. It's as if they're fixated on the 1990's photos of the Soviet fleet rotting in port.
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