Posted on 12/06/2018 4:20:18 PM PST by Zhang Fei
The US has begun making the necessary preparations to sail a warship into the Black Sea, a move that comes amid heightened tensions in the region following Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships and detention of Ukrainian sailors.
The US military has requested that the State Department notify Turkey of its possible plans to sail a warship into the Black Sea, three US officials tell CNN, a move they said is a response to Russia's actions against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday that its troops in eastern Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014, conducted a military drill with its Pantsir anti-aircraft missile systems.
Active preparations
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also claimed Wednesday that the Ukrainian government had undertaken "active preparations" for a military offensive in eastern Ukraine, using the recent declaration of martial law in select regions as a cover.
"Substantial offensive components are being transferred to the region, which are being dispersed along the entire contact line," spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday at a press briefing.
The US is required to notify Turkey about the passage through the straits under the Montreux Convention, a 1936 treaty that governs the passage of military vessels through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, which connect the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.
Under the rules of the treaty, countries that do not have a coastline on the Black Sea are required to provide Turkey with at least 15 days' notice prior to transiting the straits.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Great idea...what could go wrong?
Really? We can’t bag and tag a bunch of goat-humping cave dwellers, and we’re going to phuck with the Russkies in their backyard lake? Wow, just wow!
Nothing like adding a catalyst to the events there.
Putin knows Trump doesn’t back down. Putin won’t do anything....this time.
The Black Sea is not Russia’s personal lake.
It also belongs to Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey (a NATO member), Romania (also a NATO member), Bulgaria, and Moldova.
The US has two treaty allies on the Black Sea and therefore our ships have every right in the world to sail on that sea and if Ivan doesn’t like it then Ivan can suck rocks.
Seriously.
The Russians can’t project force or reinforce that body of water.
It would be easy pickens if Putin is stupid enough to do anything.
They only hold Crimea as long as we let them.
Crimea was Russian before communists.
Khruschev “gifted “ it to Ukraine in the 50’s .
Technically any act done by communists should be illegal as communists themselves.
Too much history, blood and treasure was spent by pre communist Russia defending Crimea , to even consider it being something else.
Why? Just... why?
[Really? We can’t bag and tag a bunch of goat-humping cave dwellers*, and we’re going to phuck with the Russkies in their backyard lake? Wow, just wow!]
Re the Russians, they are simply outgunned by Uncle Sam. That is the meaning of the hundreds of Russian contract soldiers obliterated by the Marines in Syria. They might be able to sink an American ship, but only at the cost of serious losses on their end. Note that the Russians were involved in Vietnam and Korea wherein they served as North Vietnam’s and North Korea’s air force. So this wouldn’t be the first time that the Russians had shot at US forces.
* The specific issue of why guerrilla warfare doesn’t work against ruthless adversaries is addressed in this Quora response to a query:
https://www.quora.com/If-guerrilla-warfare-is-so-hard-to-beat-why-didnt-more-countries-militaries-revert-to-guerilla-tactics-when-they-were-on-the-verge-of-defeat/answer/Yifeng-Huang-8?
[Q: If guerrilla warfare is so hard to beat, why didn’t more countries’ militaries ‘’revert’’ to guerilla tactics when they were on the verge of defeat?]
[A: Guerilla warfare can be easily defeated if the attackers are resolute.
Genghis Khan, probably the greatest conquerer ever, never had a problem with guerilla warfare, even though the lands he conquered included Afghanistan. Why? Because his army simply slaughter all civilians, including their babies, who dare to fight against them.
In the Vietnam war, the Americans struggled against the Vietcongs. When China fought Vietnam, China simply romped through North Vietnam (north of Hanoi), transport removable factories/infrastructure back to China while destroying those that they cannot bring back. One crack Vietnamese division that was rushed back from Cambodia wisely decided to settle into prepared defensive positions near Hanoi instead of reinforcing the surrounded troops north of Hanoi. Why didn’t China has problem with Vietcong guerilla fighters?
When I first visited China in the 1990s, a retired veteran bitterly told me that his Major was killed by a ~6 year old Vietnamese kid holding a secret pistol when he was giving out food to the kid. Apparently, this is not an isolated incident. Very soon, they enacted Genghis Khan’s strategy. North Vietnamese villagers encountered were simply labeled as “civilian militia”, treated as combatants and showed no mercy. PLA never encounter anymore guerilla problems because there were no civilians left to provide the guerilla with information, shelter and food!
In the 1980s, there is no internet and no international reporter who has access to report on this. Chinese body counts, which included “civilian militia combatants”, concluded that enemy casualties were in excess of 10 times PLA losses.]
Not sure, but seems to me we usually have ships there so this would be a “nothingburger”.
The black sea is irrelevant
Wonder which ship? The USN Ronald Reagan? Or the garbage scow USN Barrack Hussein Obama ?
This is beyond stupid.
Bolton wants his war anywhere.
You know, this is Russian playground.
Why screw with it.
and Screw NATO.
Not our business.
Why bother?
Not ours
you forget one important fact
Most Americans don’t know squat about geography
Hell, 83% of Black Americans can’t name the president of Africa
your misunderstanding is total.
we always have ships in the Black Sea.
Your ignorance about Bolton is unfounded and verges on cowardice
This is routine.
However, given the circumstances, I would prefer we avoid getting into a situation in which accidents — or deliberate provocations by who knows who — can take place.
Remember the Maine...
Just curious, Comrade, do you get paid in dollars or rubles?
Why are you hell bent on starting WWIII with Russia?
...and where is Europe’s NATO and EU navies?
It’s their backyard. Let them clean it up.
Stop playing world cop with our military.
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