Interfax August 26, 2008

NATO naval grouping in Black Sea to be brought to 18 warships - Gen.Staff

MOSCOW - The Russian military is concerned about the build-up of the NATO warship grouping in the Black Sea and does not believe their mission is to deliver humanitarian aid to Georgia.

"The flurry of activity of the NATO naval forces, which continue building up their grouping in the Black Sea, arouses suspicion," Russian General Staff Deputy Head Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn told the press in Moscow on Tuesday.

Whereas there were nine NATO warships in the Black Sea at noon August 25, by the evening one more U.S frigate passed through the Bosporus Strait, he said.

"Moreover, we have learned that eight more NATO warships are to arrive shortly," Nogovitsyn said.

"What is the purpose of all this? References are being made to scheduled exercises. And indeed, one can see some legitimacy in this.

"But these eight [warships, expected to arrive in the Black Sea] will carry cargoes of a different kind, not humanitarian aid," Nogovitsyn said, "It's very hard to believe that all other arrivals [of NATO warships at Georgian ports] were for humanitarian aid purposes only, as declared," the general said

NATO warships stationed in Black Sea offshore waters are equipped with strategic weapons, Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, said, Particularly, the ships are armed with cruise missiles with a range of 2,500 kilometers or more, the official said.

The cargo allegedly transported by them could be bought in the nearest flea market, without wasting such naval resources, he pointed out.

Some of the warships arrived from Poland, which is a long way, the general said, concluding that this could hardly be merely humanitarian aid.


Could the timing of this be anything to do with the Armada of ships heading towards the Gulf region.


UPDATE: 30th Aug

Russia said U.S. ships could only stay in the Black Sea for 21 days according to the Montreux Convention, and warned if they do not leave by then Turkey would be responsible.

Russia's deputy military chief Anatoly Nogovitsyn said the NATO warships' entrance to the Black Sea is a "serious threat to our security," Hurriyet daily reported on Thursday.

 

He said under the Montreux Convention, signed in 1936 on the status of the Turkish Straits, the warships can only stay in the Black Sea for 21 days.

 

"If the NATO ships continue to stay in the Black Sea after the expiration of 21 day-period, then I would like to remind you that Turkey would be responsible," he added.

 

The U.S. warships are spearheading a humanitarian aid mission to Georgia, a U.S. ally that wants to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

 

Clashes erupted in the Caucasus after Russia responded to Georgia's military operation to regain the control in the breakaway region South Osstia.

 

The U.S. ships are carrying nuclear missiles that can hit Russian targets as far away as St. Petersburg, Nogovitsyn said, according to Hurriyet. Russia has dispatched its own ships to track the U.S. vessels, the newspaper said.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet is capable of destroying NATO's naval strike group currently deployed in the sea within 20 minutes, a former fleet commander said on Friday, according to RIA Novosti.

Russia's General Staff said on Tuesday there were 10 NATO ships in the Black Sea - three U.S. warships, the Polish frigate General Pulaski, the German frigate FGS Lubeck, and the Spanish guided missile frigate Admiral Juan de Borbon, as well as four Turkish vessels. Eight more warships are expected to join the group.

"Despite the apparent strength, the NATO naval group in the Black Sea is not battle-worthy," Admiral Eduard Baltin said. "If necessary, a single missile salvo from the Moskva missile cruiser and two or three missile boats would be enough to annihilate the entire group."

However, Baltin said the chances of a military confrontation between NATO and Russia in the Black Sea are negligible.

"We will not strike first, and they do not look like people with suicidal tendencies," he said.

Russia's General Staff later said the alliance's naval deployment in the Black Sea "cannot fail to provoke concern", with unidentified sources in the Russian military saying a surface strike group was being gathered there.

According to Russian military intelligence sources, the NATO warships that have entered the Black Sea are between them carrying over 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.


UPDATE 2: 30th Aug

NATO ships in Black Sea on routine visit, unrelated to Georgia crisis, says NATO

The Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1), a group of NATO warships, conducts routine port visits and exercises with NATO member nations bordering the Black Sea since 21 August.

This deployment is routine in nature and has been planned for over a year, notification of the requirement to transit the Turkish Straits was given in June well before the current Georgia crisis and is completely unrelated. In accordance with the terms of the Montreux Convention, the ships will stay no longer than 21 days in the Black Sea.  


This NATO press release only refers to 5 ships being part of the Group One exercise, which contrasts between the 8 ships expected to arrive shortly, and the 10 already there, making 18 ships in total.