Russian Black Sea Fleet Posing No Threat to Ukraine

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet poses no threat to Ukraine and its activities are in compliance with standing agreements between the two countries. This statement was made by a senior Russian defence official on Thursday.

“Currently, all units are engaged in their daily routines, including combat training. These actions do not represent a threat,” Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov commented, adding that the placement, strength and quantity of weapons and military personnel are in strict compliance with existing bilateral agreements.

The statement came hours after unidentified armed men seized the regional parliament in Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, where much of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is based, and reportedly raised a Russian flag over the building. Moscow has insisted that it will not interfere in its neighbor’s affairs, but has expressed worry about discrimination against ethnic Russians in the region.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet maintains its main naval base in the port of Sevastopol in addition to several auxiliary installations around the peninsula. Mr. Antonov said Russia would continue fulfilling all financial obligations for the stay of the fleet in Crimea.

Russia Starts Massive Troops Redeployment in WMD and CMD

Military units and commands dislocated in the territory of the Western and Central Military Districts have started massive redeployment to the areas of interest within the framework of the combat readiness check, according to the press service of Russia’s Defence Ministry.

“The General Staff officers had handed over packages with information to commanders to bring troops to certain railway sites and airfields to transport them to military training grounds located far from the areas of permanent deployment,” the press center stated.

According to the official information, tank units and detachments of the Western Military District have finished uploading the railroad platforms and are now performing route marches to the areas of interest. Several units of the Western and Central Military Districts have been instructed to perform route marches to cover a distance of more than 1,000 km. Troops and units dislocated in Kaliningrad, Samara, Leningrad, Pskov, Kursk, Voronezh, Lipetsk and other regions of Russia have moved from the areas of permanent deployment and are ready to be sent to any district assigned by the General Staff.

Russia and India to Advance Cooperation in Space Projects

Russia and India have agreed to hold consultations on space cooperation and joint projects in this field. This was announced by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid and Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma.

“We discussed GLONASS and believe there is an enormous potential for cooperation in this area and the joint use of space services in general,” Mr. Rogozin, who co-chairs the Russian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation, said. He also noted that this year India would celebrate the 30^th anniversary of its first astronaut Rakesh Sharma’s space flight accomplished in 1984.

“We have agreed to hold a series of consultations between our space agencies to engage our Indian partners in the plans and projects to be undertaken by the United Rocket and Space Corporation,” Mr. Rogozin concluded.

Russia’s Paratroopers and Marines Heading for Training Grounds

Marines of Russia’s Baltic and Northern Fleets have boarded large landing ships as part of the combat readiness test, according to the Defence Ministry. At the same time, groups of the Pskov airborne troops were moving to an airfield to go to the places of interest. The landing areas will be known only after the aircraft takes off and heads for the assigned areas.

As explained by the press service, all mobile units of paratroops and marines are ready to land anywhere under any climate conditions. Meanwhile, tank units and troops of the Western Military District were being carried by rail.

It should be noted that the commanders received packages with information on performing route marches to the areas of loading troop trains, as well as to the airfields of military transport aviation, followed by redeployment of the troops to the Defence Ministry’s ranges located far away from the areas of permanent deployment. It would become known where and what tasks the troops would perform after officers of the General Staff would open the relevant packages.

Russia’s POZIS Plant Joins RATEK Association

Tatarstan-based plant POZIS, a part of Rostec State Corporation, has joined RATEK, the association of commercial companies and manufacturers of electronic and computer technology. According to the press release, this step will enable the company to participate in a constructive dialogue with state authorities about issues related to economic development and industry.

POZIS has been cooperating with RATEK since 2011. The company provided expert analysis of the household appliances market. Today RATEK comprises 62 companies, including the partners of POZIS.

It’s worth noting that RATEK, an association of commercial companies and manufacturers of electrical and computer equipment, is both a platform for experts and a place of discussion, accumulating the aggregate view of the business environment and acting as a link between business and government. In 2013, the association has been actively working on issues related to the customs union, technical regulations, post-entry control, parallel imports, waste disposal, and other topics.

Snap Check of Russian Army Unrelated to Recent Events in Ukraine

The surprise combat readiness inspection of Russia’s Western and Central Military Districts is not related to the latest events in Ukraine. This came in a statement by Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu.

“Generally speaking, we do not relate these things in any way. The exercise will take place on Russia’s border. The main purpose is to check the combat readiness of our troops,” Russia’s Defence Minister commented.

According to the information available, more than 150,000 servicemen from various troop units will take part in the drills, which will also involve up to 90 planes, over 120 helicopters, about 870 tanks, more than 1,200 units of military equipment, and 80 vessels.

It should be noted that the snap combat readiness drills started Wednesday in the Western and Central Military Districts by order of President Vladimir Putin, who is the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces. The surprise exercise took place in 2013, and the Defence Ministry has decided to continue this practice in 2014.

Russia Preparing Missile Troops for Victory Day Parade

Three Topol-M strategic ballistic missiles will roll through Moscow’s Red Square to mark the Victory Day on May 9, 2014. The military equipment is ready for the Victory Day Parade. This came in a statement by Col. Igor Egorov, a spokesman for the Teikovsky missile unit of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces.

It should be noted that the Teikovsky troops has been participating in the Victory Day Parade since 2008. Last year, more than 11,000 servicemen from Russia’s Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies, as well as military academy students paraded their colors through the Red Square to music of a combined services brass band comprising 800 musicians.

Tiger and Lynx armored vehicles, BTR-82A armored carriers, T-90 tanks, Msta-S self-propelled artillery systems, S-400 air defence systems, as well as Topol-M and Iskander-M missile complexes awed spectators on the Victory Day in 2013. The fly-past by 68 aircraft and helicopters completed last year’s spectacle.

Main Sochi Olympic Torch Operates without Hitch

The burning device of the Olympic Flame Cauldron, which was manufactured by Kuznetsov factory, worked without any failures. This information was presented by the company’s press center.

“The Samara-based factory started work on the project in April 2013, and the burning device, which had been designed and manufactured from scratch, was delivered to Sochi by September 2013,” the press service stated.

Under the technical assignment, the flame of the main Olympic torch had to reach a height of over 50 meters with regard to possible extreme weather conditions.

“In order to meet these requirements, the factory conducted a few tests of the torch and even subjected it to hurricane force winds by means of the NK-12MA aircraft engine,” the company explained.

It’s worth mentioning that a group of factory designers and testers has been sent to Sochi to test the burning device in the Olympic Flame Cauldron and prepare it for the Paralympic Games, which are due to start on March 7.

Russian Navy to Receive 3 Missile Corvettes by 2016

The Russian Naval Forces will receive three new missile corvettes by the end of 2015, according to Navy Commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov.

“The Navy is expecting the Veliky Ustyug corvette this year and two more warships of the same class in 2015,” Mr. Chirkov said.

It should be pointed out that the Defence Ministry has ordered a total of nine Project 21631 (Buyan-M) corvettes for the Navy, with at least six vessels to be assigned to the Caspian Flotilla. The first two Buyan-M corvettes, the Grad Sviyazhsk and the Uglich, entered service with the Flotilla earlier this year. The Zelenodolsk shipyard, based in Russia’s Tatarstan Republic, began construction of the sixth corvette in the series, the Vyshny Volochek, in August last year.

A Buyan-M corvette has a displacement of 949 tons and a maximum speed of 25 knots. It is armed with Kalibr (SS-N-27) anti-ship missiles, 100-mm and 30-mm guns, as well as Igla-1M air defence missiles.

Russia’s EMERCOM to Protect Population from Asteroids

The Russian Ministry for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters is drawing up a concept of a zone for testing meteorite protection of the civilian population and facilities. This was announced by Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov.

“Mankind had its first encounter with the real destructive impact on its social infrastructure from outer space, i.e. the Chelyabinsk meteorite event of February 2013,” Mr. Puchkov told the Federation Council on Wednesday.

“The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry is now interacting with domestic and foreign partners in the elaboration of a concept of a pilot project for testing the protection of the population and social infrastructure from meteorites,” the minister elaborated.

“This is an extensive and complex mission. These are new technologies and demand international cooperation. The work is planned for decades ahead,” Mr. Puchkov concluded.