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http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/az/Qrussia-military.Rs3P_Cy2.html Russia in retreat as ex-Soviet bases abandoned Story from AFP / Francoise Michel MOSCOW, May 2 (AFP) - Russia abandoned its last military base outside the former Soviet Union Thursday, forsaking its dreams of past power as it reduces its presence to other ex-Soviet republics where it now has to compete with Washington for influence. Russian officials signed an agreement handing back the Cam Ranh deep sea naval and air base in Vietnam, with the last remaining servicemen to leave by sea on Saturday. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last October that Russia would withdraw from Cam Ranh, as well as a vast electronic listening post in Cuba, because of financial reasons. The announcement drew the ire of the Communists, who accused Putin of limiting "Russia's influence to the outskirts of Moscow." The spy station at Lourdes, in Cuba, used for almost 40 years to spy on the United States, was shut down at the end of last year. The Cam Ranh base, which assured Russia's military presence in Southeast Asia, had been built by the United States during the Vietnam War, but Moscow leased it for free since 1979. In its heyday, it was the largest Soviet base outside of the Warsaw Pact, able to house up to 10,000 troops, 15 ships and 30 aircraft. Today, however, Russia with its limited global military reach could not justify the expense of maintaining such a major overseas operation, especially since its free lease on Cam Ranh was due to run out in 2004. "This base no longer played an important role. Our navy does not navigate the seas as extensively as it used to in the Soviet era," military expert Yury Gladkevich commented. After withdrawal from Cam Ranh, the Russian military will be limited to the former Soviet republics, where it faces stiff competition from US troops which have established their presence in the region -- particularly in Georgia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan -- in the wake of the September 11 attacks. "We should also get out of the former Soviet republics. Our presence there feeds anti-Russian sentiments and serves as a pretext for inviting the United States," Viktor Kremenyuk, an expert in the the US-Canada Institute, argued. Russia's military presence is at its strongest in Ukraine and Tajikistan, two of Moscow's most loyal allies. Ukraine houses some 16,000 Russian navy servicemen and 380 warships, for an annual payment of 47 million dollars (52 million euros). In the Central Asian state of Tajikistan, Russia deploys some 8,000 soldiers, and another 11,000 Russian guards patrol Tajikistan's 1, 200-kilometre (750-mile) border with Afghanistan under a 1992 accord between Moscow and Dushanbe. In Armenia, Russia's traditional ally in the Caucasus, Moscow keeps motorised units and air defense systems at a base at Gumri near the Turkish border, deploying some 3,350 troops, according to Armenian sources. Russian military also take part in patrolling Armenia's borders with Iran and Turkey. But if Armenia remains loyal, its neighbour Georgia has dealt Moscow a blow by inviting 200 US troops ostensibly to train the Georgian army in its fight against local extremists. The US troops began deploying this week. Nationalists in Russia are furious about Washington's accord with Tbilisi, which also allows the US military to set up a base in Georgia, where part of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline is due to be built. More than 3,000 Russian troops remain stationed in Georgia, where Russia has given up only one of its four bases. Georgia, eager to join the NATO military alliance, has called on Russia to withdraw within three years, but Moscow claims that it would take its troops at least 10 years to fully pull out. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
