Russia’s navy deployment to Syria in show of force

Russia’s largest naval deployment in years raised eyebrows as the flotilla sailed past Norway through the English Channel on the way to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to support Moscow’s air campaign in Syria. The British Royal Navy shadowed the Russian fleet Friday as it passed through the channel, in what was thought to be partly a response test of members of Nato, the Western military alliance. “It’s the general feeling here that Russia is once again obtaining the status of a great power and that we are globally present everywhere,” says Victor Mizin, a political analyst at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. “That’s why the northern fleet, which is probably the most important of all the fleets of the Russian military, is extending its presence there.” The website of Russia’s navy said Friday the carrier battle group will join the permanent naval task force in the eastern Mediterranean, which provides support for Russian and Syrian forces bombing rebels and Islamist militants. Russia’s navy said the deployment was expected to last four or five months before the Kuznetsov would return for repairs expected to take up to two years.

Largest deployment in decades

A diplomat with Nato told Reuters news agency that it was Russia’s largest deployment since the Cold War’s end in 1991. Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern the Kuznetsov could join attacks on Aleppo and “increase human suffering.” Russian defence analysts say the ships add little firepower to Russian forces in Syria. The deployment, they say, is more for training purposes and as a show of strength to the West and Russia’s allies. “Sending these very specialised ships to the Mediterranean – well, it’s like sending a Tyrannosaur to catch mice,” said Moscow-based defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer, adding that it is “not effective. Stupid, actually.” Russia announced a temporary “humanitarian” truce Tuesday in its joint assault with Syrian forces on the city of Aleppo, to allow humanitarian aid and civilian evacuations. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that militants were blocking both aid and civilians. Western countries, including the United States, have accused Russia of war crimes in Syria.

Final assault expected

Many analysts believe Russia is preparing a final assault on Aleppo to score a strategic win with its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Kremlin on Saturday said its military intervention in Syria aims to liberate the war-torn nation’s territory from jihadists while keeping President Bashar al-Assad in power, reports AFP. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in an interview with Rossiya-1 national television set to air on Saturday evening said there were only two possible outcomes for the Syrian conflict -- either Assad remains in power or jihadists take over. “Either Assad is in Damascus, or Al-Nusra is,” he said, referring to former al-Qaeda affiliate, the Fateh al-Sham Front. “There is no third option here.” “The present administration, I’m afraid, simply doesn’t have time enough to make some serious change” in Syria, said Vladimir Batuk of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for the US and Canadian Studies. “And, unfortunately, they in Moscow understand that pretty well.” But the fighting in Syria will not end even if Russian-backed Syrian government forces retake Aleppo. Some political analysts say Russia does not expect to win the war for Assad but wants to help Syrian forces retake Aleppo so they can return to negotiations in a stronger position.