Four Russia naval vessels and 1,000 Russian troops will take part in an exercise this November with Venezuela under the shadow of the US Fourth Fleet.
In a move threatened by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of Russia after NATO entered the Black Sea, Venezuela's Chief of Naval Intelligence, Adm. Salbatore Cammarata Bastidas
announced the Russia Navy will be returning to the Caribbean Sea.
The Admiral went on to say that some Russian ships may appear in the Caribbean earlier than the planned exercises.
The Russian Navy patrols in waters so close to the U.S., it is seen as a counter-balance to 7 U.S. and other NATO warships, including the USS Mount Whitney, a command warship from the U.S. Navy’s Sixth Fleet. It entered the Black Sea with the declared purpose of delivering humanitarian aid to Georgia. Russia said the ships brought military cargoes to rebuild Georgia’s shattered armed forces.
Russia said NATO’s naval presence in the Black Sea heightened tension in the region.
“I wonder how they would feel if we dispatched humanitarian aid to the tornado-hit Caribbean using our navy,” President Dmitry Medvedev
asked.
Oil rich Venezuela, led by President Hugo Chavez, continues to
purchase large amounts of Russian weapon systems,
including modern jet fighters, missile systems and submarines.
The heightened Russian military activity will most likely bracket US Presidential Elections on November 4, 2008.
Russian Navy Heading For Venezuela
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