Sunday, November 23, 2014

Russian Warships Head to Northeast Atlantic

11/23/2014

MOSCOW – A flotilla of four warships sailed on Thursday from the port of Severomorsk, home base of Russia’s Northern Fleet, heading to the international waters of the northeast Atlantic bordering several NATO member states.

The main objective of the mission is “ensuring the naval presence of the Russian Federation in the operationally significant areas of the international ocean,” a spokesman for the Russian Navy told reporters.

Another aim of the flotilla is to guarantee the security of sea routes used by the Russian merchant and fishing fleets.

The move coincides with a period of heightened tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow’s role in the crisis in Ukraine.

Besides the destroyer “Severomorsk,” the unit also consists of the large landing craft “Alexander Otrakovski,” the freighter “Dubna” and the rescue tug “SB-406.”

The Northeast Atlantic area includes the waters of the Barents Sea, the Baltic, Iceland, East Greenland, the Azores and the English Channel, among others.

NATO was also strengthening its presence along the borders it shares with Russia amid the crisis in Ukraine, which has created great tension between Russia and the West over Moscow’s annexation of the Crimea and its alleged interference in the eastern Ukraine.

The Kiev government, the European Union and the United States accuse Russia of providing military aid to the pro-Russian insurgents fighting the Ukrainian forces in the east of the country.

Meanwhile, around 140 members of Denmark’s military intelligence services have arrived in Lithuania to participate in joint maneuvers with the forces of the Baltic country.


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