MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Russian sea and air power temporarily based in Venezuela

Russian Navy will visit Venezuela next November

Russia plans to temporarily station a nuclear-powered missile cruiser and anti-submarine aircraft in Venezuela, foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said Monday in Moscow.

This follows the Venezuelan Navy announcement over the weekend that a Russian task force with 1.000 crew members would carry out joint exercises next November in Venezuelan waters. "Before the end of the year, as part of a long-distance expedition, we plan a visit to Venezuela by a Russian navy flotilla... and the temporary basing of anti-submarine aircraft of the Russian Navy at an airport in Venezuela" said spokesman Andrei Nesterenko. The four vessels task force includes Peter the Great a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser and Admiral Chabanenko, a state of the art anti-submarine vessel Nesterenko told a briefing in Moscow. The visit has been planned for a long time and "is not in any way connected to the current situation in the Caucasus" said Nesterenko, referring to tensions over Russia's incursion into US ally Georgia in August. "It is not aimed at any third country" he emphasized. Russia has accused United States of rearming Georgia under the guise of humanitarian aid, following the arrival last week of the US Navy's Mediterranean flagship at a key Georgian port close to where Russian troops are patrolling. "I wonder how they would like it if we sent humanitarian assistance using our navy to countries of the Caribbean that have suffered from the recent hurricanes" Russian president Dmitry Medvedev was quoted in a press conference. The 'Peter the Great' is large and heavily armed with both surface-to-surface and around 500 surface-to-air missiles, according to Jon Rosamund, editor of Jane's Navy International. "On paper it's an immensely powerful ship," he said. "We are not really sure if this is a show of force or if it poses a viable operational capability at this stage," Rosamund said. "These ships have far more capability, on paper, than the US destroyers that went to the Black Sea, but it's difficult to compare capacity" Rosamund said. "The Russian navy is keen to be seen on the world stage". Admiral Eduard Baltin, former commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, said the Caribbean maneuvers meant "Russia is returning to the world stage in its power and international relations which, regrettably it lost at the end of last century". "No one loves the weak," Baltin was quoted by Russia's Interfax news agency. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a harsh critic of the US government, has forged what he describes as "strategic ties" with Moscow including arms supply and production deals. He has also supported Moscow in the Georgia conflict, and stressed that "Russia is rising up again as a global power". Reacting to the news the White House said Monday it was watching Russia's planned joint naval exercises with Venezuela in Venezuelan waters. "We've seen the reports and we'll see how the exercise goes" US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.