Diplomacy needs a cruiser plus
Quote:
The Australian defence ministry is tracking a fleet of Russia warships sailing in international waters near its coast.
It is believed the vessels, currently in the Coral Sea near Papua New Guinea, could be heading to Brisbane for next week’s G20 summit, which Vladimir Putin will attend.
Russia’s Pacific flagship, the Varyag, is leading the contingent south, accompanied by destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov and one of the world’s most powerful tugs, the Fotiy Krylov. A supply tanker called Boris Butoma is accompanying them towards Australia’s east coast.
Link to UK coverage:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...t-9855308.html
To Australian coverage:http://www.news.com.au/national/russ...-1227120928528
Having a Russian naval flotilla at a G20 summit is hardly new. One assumes the voyage southwards was noted days before the press reporting.
Russian aircrew need a warm place to fly to
From the BBC today:
Quote:
Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said there was a plan to provide long-range aviation maintenance for the flights....On Wednesday, Mr Shoigu said "long-range aviation units" would fly along the borders of the Russian Federation and over the waters of the Arctic Ocean. He added: "Under the prevailing circumstances we need to ensure a military presence in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans, the waters of the Caribbean basin and the Gulf of Mexico.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30028371
Back to an old 'Cold War' deployment pattern then.