Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

A short time ago in a display of Russian military might meant to impress, a rather embarrassing episode occurred when a few of Put’s missiles fizzled.

Today Putin has shown the world that Russian missiles can fly true and straight to their targets. In order to vindicate the great bear’s military prowess the Russian Northern Fleet’s nuclear-powered submarine Novomoskovsk fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Barents Sea at 15:08 Moscow time on Wednesday. – March 17, 2004

The warhead of the Sineva missile accurately hit a target at the Kura testing ground on Kamchatka, the Russian Navy commander’s aide Capitan Igor Dygalo told Itar-Tass.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=557815&PageNum=0

This display I would venture was not only to vindicate Russian weaponry it was also to serve notice on Georgian President Mikhal Saakashvili who has closed the port of Batumi in retaliation against breakaway leader Aslan Abashidze of Adzharia who happens to be Puts good friend.

Vessels bound for Batumi are being convoyed to the port of Poti.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=553465&PageNum=0

What better way to let Saakashvili know that the Georgian naval defense and coast guard service continuing to control the water area of Batumi port probably have a Russian sub nearby. And that Putin’s graphic example was not only to let the world know that Russia’s missile problems were fixed but that Saakashvili’s blockade or Tbilisi itself is allowed only as long as Putin permits.

Lots of posturing going on in the Georgia/Adzharia crisis.


Note:

Russia is a leader in sub technology including the growing fleets of quiet, diesel-electric subs.

Some submarines being built can submerge without regular surfacings to replenish their air supply. Once a province of nuclear-powered subs, the new "air-independent propulsion" systems add to the difficulty of tracking diesel boats, experts said.

China and Iran have bought brand-new, top-of-the-line, Kilo-class diesel subs from Russia
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=2189007

Russia has, in addition, built the world's deepest and most silent nuclear submarine.

The Project 210 submarine, nicknamed `Losharik' is a top-secret project and few details are available about its characteristics apart from the fact that it can sail at a depth of over 6,000 metres and is the most silent and hard-to-detect submarine in the Russian Navy.
http://www.russiansabroad.com/Conferences/topicView.asp?topicId=714&confId=10

-Am