Russian Airborne Force to set up six T-72B3 tank battalions by end of 2018 — source.

Russian Airborne Force to set up six T-72B3 tank battalions by end of 2018 — source. (Tass).

Tank battalions will be set up within six air assault large units of Russia’s Airborne Force before the end of 2018, a high-ranking source in the Airborne Force told TASS on Tuesday.

"All our air assault large units, i.e. two divisions and four brigades, will start setting up tank companies in the second half of the year. We are planning to complete this work by the end of the year to transform these companies into battalions," the source said.

"Thus, each air assault large unit will have a T-72B3 tank battalion by 2018," the source added.
TASS does not have any official information.

Airborne Force Commander Vladimir Shamanov said earlier that the Airborne Force would set up six tank companies in 2015.

According to the source, these plans were not fulfilled "due to financial problems."

"These plans have been adjusted and we will start fulfilling them in the second half of the year," the source said.

Related:

Russian diplomat: Deploying 3 divisions along border response measure to NATO expansion

Russian Dep For Min Ryabkov: We Will Not At This Time Be Returning To Nuclear Arms Reduction Talks With U.S.

Russian Dep For Min Sergey Ryabkov: We Will Not At This Time Be Returning To Nuclear Arms Reduction Talks With U.S. Under 'New START' Treaty. (Memri).

To mark the fifth anniversary of the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), which was signed in April 2010 and came into force on February 5, 2011, U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice stated: "We look forward to full implementation of the Treaty and continue to call on Russia to answer the President's invitation five years ago to begin talks on further reductions to our nuclear arsenals."[1]

Ryabkov to the effect that Russia will not at this time be returning to nuclear arms reduction talks with the U.S.   

In an interview, Ryabkov explained Russia's rejection of Security Advisor Rice's call, outlining two reasons: First, the U.S. is stepping up its military capability by developing its anti-missile defense system and its Prompt Global Strike (PGS) precision conventional weapons program, and second, the U.S. is currently undermining the Russian defense industry through its sanctions against Russia.

Following are excerpts from statements by Ryabkov, from interviews with the TASS[2] and Russia Today[3] news agencies and from reports in the Russian daily Kommersant[4] on this issue.

In a February 6, 2016 interview, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov told Russia Today: "The Russian side's position regarding the possibility of further negotiations on the [New] START, and regarding nuclear arms reduction in general, hasn't changed. We have reached the point where further bilateral Russian-American negotiations in this field are not possible."

He added that Russia would only consider resuming negotiations if the above mentioned circumstances changed, and if the parties to the talks come to the dialogue as "equal sovereign states."

The same day, commentator Michael Belyaev wrote in Kommersant that the main reason for this Russian position is that "in light of the current U.S. policy towards Russia, the U.S. proposals are [an attempt] to impose a game by 'American rules' – There is no way that such a proposal can be seriously considered."

Mistral transfer now suspended until Russia changes approach to Ukraine. French Pres. Holland

Mistral transfer now suspended until Russia changes approach to Ukraine, French Pres. Holland. Source.

Sweden searching for what Could be a damaged Russian submarine.

Sweden searching for what Could be a damaged Russian submarine.(SVD).

A distress signal in Russian preceded the submarine alarm in the archipelago of Stockholm. When the military search operation started radio communication between a transmitter in the archipelago and a transmitter in Kaliningrad was detected. This indicates that there could be a damaged russian submarine in Swedish waters.

Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet can now reveal new sensational information about what happened before and during the ongoing military operation in the archipelago of Stockholm, where the military – in their own words – are searching for "suspected foreign activity under water".

In the official version the operation started due to the reports from a "credible source" that had seen a suspicious object on friday.

But what has not been revealed is that the National Defence Radio Establishment ("Försvarets radioanstalt", FRA) detected radio communication in Russian a day before the operation started. It was transmitted on a special frequence, used by Russia in emergency situations.

About 14 hours later, Friday the 17th october around noon, the underwater vehicle was detected and the search operation begun.

Friday night signal intelligence once again intercepted radio communication. This time it was encrypted but it was possible to determine the position of the transmitter and the reciever. The transmitter was situated somewhere in Kanholmsfjärden in the archipelago of Stockholm, and the reviever was situated in Kaliningrad, Russia.

This information has been confirmed by several persons with knowledge about the ongoing search operation, although they can't confirm that there is a damaged submarine in Swedish waters.

– We are now focusing on determining if there is ongoing foreign underwater activity or not, one of the sources tells Svenska Dagladet. Hmmmm......Right away the Kursk comes to mind.

Russia Starts rebuilding Military Bases in the Arctic.

Russia Starts rebuilding Military Bases in the Arctic.(MT).

Set on restoring the once formidable Soviet military presence in the highly contested and resource-rich Arctic, the Russian military has begun building new military bases in the region, a Defense Ministry spokesperson said Monday.

"On Wrangel Island and Cape Schmidt, block-modules have been unloaded for the construction of military camps. The complex is being erected in the form of a star," Colonel Alexander Gordeyev, a spokesperson for the Eastern Military District, was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

Russia has been talking about militarizing the Arctic for years as part of its greater strategy to explore and industrialize the pristine region, which is wealthy in oil and gas and offers a strategic trade route capable of rerouting the global trade flows.

The locations named by Gordeyev are deep into the Arctic circle in the Chukchi Sea, close to Alaska.

The construction of the new Arctic bases, which will be the first new facilities established in the area since the Soviets abandoned their Arctic positions in the waning years of the Cold War, marks a milestone in Russia's militarization of the region.

Wrangel Island is classified by the Russian government as a nature reserve and was never used by the Soviets as a military base. In late August, the Russian navy carried out an expedition to the island and planted a flag, which Pacific Fleet spokesperson Captain First Rank Roman Martov said "heralded the station of the first ever naval base on [Wrangel Island]."

Cape Schmidt, on the other hand, saw use during the Cold War as a base for long-range strategic bombers. The Soviet government established airbases throughout the Arctic for its bomber fleet, as this was the closest geographic point to the United States.

The two sets of 34 prefabricated modules being installed on Wrangel Island and Cape Schmidt will contribute to Putin's aspirations by giving Russia's Arctic forces a comfortable home in an unforgiving environment. The base will consist of residential, commercial, administrative and recreational units, RIA Novosti reported.

Roman Filimonov, director of the Defense Ministry's department for state procurement of capital construction said in July that it intends to establish six such compounds in the Arctic "to further develop the stationing of ground forces in the Arctic ... They will be contemporary military communities. We will call them 'The North Star' since the shape of the community resembles a star."

Meanwhile, Russia's Northern Fleet, which is based out of Murmansk, in the western part of Russia's vast Arctic territory, is being reinforced with Russia's newest nuclear attack submarines — the Yasen-class. The first Yasen, called the Severodvinsk, joined the Northern Fleet in June. With three additional vessels slated to follow her, the Yasen-type submarines will phase out the older Soviet-era Akula and Alfa-class attack submarines. This will leave Russia with a formidable underwater force to complement the already hard-hitting capabilities of the Northern Fleet.

Such developments have alarmed the other members of the so-called Arctic Council, a group of nations that share borders in the region. In late August, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird raised the alarm on Russia's military buildup in the region, vowing that it would not hesitate to defend Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.

By the end of 2014, Russia will have moved military units to Kotelny Island, located north of the Sakha Republic in eastern Siberia, and a motorized rifle brigade to Alakurtii, a village in Murmansk oblast, to coincide with deployments to the Franz Josef Archipelago and Novaya Zemlya.

By 2015, Russia hopes to restore the entirety of its former-Soviet defense infrastructure in the region, RIA Novosti said.Read the full story here.


 Related: Canada Adds Drones to Its Fight With Russia for the North Pole

'Abducted' Estonian Security Police Official Held in Moscow Jail

'Abducted' Estonian Security Police Official Held in Moscow Jail .(EE).

That report on Pervyi Kanal, and interviews with Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet earlier in the day on Postimees daily (which embedded video from RT) and other media sites, including uudised.err.ee, were the first confirmation of the whereabouts of Eston Kohver.

Lenta.ru, a Russian site, said - according to a report on the Delfi site - that Kohver is suspected of espionage, smuggling firearms into the country and illegal border crossing. 

"It can't be ruled out that this will be used to send a message" in a judicial process, Delfi speculated, saying that the gravity of the charges could signal difficulty for Estonia in getting Kohver back soon.

Ministry or consular officials have apparently still not been able to meet Kohver, although talks with the Russian Foreign Ministry have been under way.

According to the Internal Security Service (ISS), Estonia's national agency for counterintelligence and high-profile corruption investigations, Kohver was abducted at gunpoint on Friday morning at Luhamaa border checkpoint, where he was discharging service duties.

Initially there was little indication it was necessarily more than an isolated criminal incident, but the use of a smoke grenade and jamming hinted at a more sophisticated operation. Within several hours it had developed into a diplomatic row, with the Estonian and Russian intelligence agencies advancing completely opposite versions of the events.

The report of the abduction broke around 16:00 on Friday, seven hours after it happened. At about 19:00, the FSB, the Russian security agency, was first to mention the name of the agent, Eston Kohver, which was later confirmed by the ISS. That was the only detail consistent in the versions, with the Russians putting forward a claim that Kohver was captured on the Russian side, albeit without evidence. Nor did the Russian side deny the Estonian claim that local Russian border guards agreed that the would-be kidnappers crossed into Estona to abduct Kohver.

The ISS says Kohver was investigating a crime - evidently smuggling-related - while the FSB has said Kohver was in Russia to meet with a contact and that 5,000 euros and a mission brief were found on Kohver's person.

All ISS officials are strictly prohibited from traveling to Russia. Over the last 10 years, Estonia has apprehended four Russian moles in the ISS - similar in model to the American FBI. The ISS has won plaudits from the international press for being one of the most successful agencies in weeding out infiltrators in what many consider a new Cold War between Russia and the West.If found guilty, Interfax said, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Hmmm.....There's always the possibility that he's a double agent.Read the full story here.

DEVELOPING: Estonian Counterintelligence Officer Abducted to Russia at Gunpoint,

DEVELOPING: Estonian Counterintelligence Officer Abducted to Russia at Gunpoint. Foreign Ministry Summons Russian Ambassador.(NewsEER).

An official from the Internal Security Service (ISS), Estonia's national agency for counterintelligence and high-profile corruption investigations, was abducted at gunpoint at Luhamaa border checkpoint this morning where he was discharging service duties, and taken to Russia. There is no indication that the abduction is more than an isolated criminal incident, but on the backdrop of international tensions, the situation is being treated seriously.

The incident occurred at about 9:00 on the Estonian side of the border and was preceded by jamming of communications and use of a smoke grenade, the agency said; the interference was said to originate from the Russia side.

The ISS said the official was in the process of interdiction of a cross-border crime.

The area is in Võru County, by Russian border post #121. The border lacks major fortifications; the area is thinly populated.

The whereabouts of the official are not known.

There was no immediate explanation on the late disclosure of the incident - more than six hours after it occurred - which comes during a period of more tense relations with Russia.

Officials at Press Conference: Bilateral Border Guard Meeting Was Held Earlier in Day

Officials from the ISS (KaPo in Estonian) and the Office of the Prosecutor General held a press conference at 17:00.

Arnold Sinisalu, director general of the ISS (pictured, center), said that Estonian and Russian border guards met for a briefing at the Estonians' initiative at 13:00. At the meeting on the border, the Russian side said it had no reports of the incident. Both sides visited the scene and established that there were indeed signs of a violent struggle with tracks leading to the Russian side, Sinisalu said. Sinisalu added that there was no indication of a firefight, or of an injury or bloodshed.

Asked for other details, such as whether the official was alone, Sinisalu said they were not immediately available or could not be released yet. He did, however, rule out terrorism.

He cautioned against speculation on the identity of the agent. He said he did not want to speculate on the motive and said there was no clear political reason.

A criminal case has been launched on counts of abduction and illegal border crossing.

Foreign Ministry Summons Russian Diplomat

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent for Russia's ambassador to Estonia, Yuri Merzlyakov, today to ask for an explanation.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said: "This is a very galling incident. We expect full assistance and cooperation from Russia in resolving the incident and bringing the Estonian citizen back to Estonia."

He said the Estonian Embassy in Moscow was in contact with the Russian Foreign Ministry as well.Read the full story here.

Update: Russia says it detained an Estonian officer on its territory. Is this the same man the Estonians say was abducted?

MOSCOW, September 5. / ITAR-TASS /. Estonian security police officer was arrested in the Pskov region during undercover operations, told Itar-Tass in the center of public relations of the Russian FSB.

"On the territory of the Russian Federation detained employee of the Department of Tartu Police Security Interior Estonia Estonia Kohver. Infringer have seized a gun" Taurus "with ammunition, cash in the amount of € 5 thousand., Special machinery for the implementation of a hidden record, as well as materials that have the character of intelligence job ", - the public relations center of the FSB.

"CHANGE" - Russian ministry of foreign affairs calls Obama 'admin' the 'Washington regime'.

"CHANGE" - Russian ministry of foreign affairs calls Obama 'admin' the 'Washington regime'. (Mid.ru). [GoogleTranslate].

Comment of the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding the continuing anti-Russian attacks by the U.S. Administration:

Judging by the unrelenting campaign of defamation against Russia organized by the American administration, blatant lies are increasingly being relied upon there to conduct foreign policy. Take for one the new statements by the U.S. President’s press secretary, Josh Earnest, who directly accuses our country of destroying the Malaysian Airlines airliner over Ukraine.

As is now Washington’s wont, in corroboration never mind evidence, not even simple references to facts are adduced, which one could consider and comment on. Everything in Washington is limited to mentioning certain “intelligence data” that cannot in any way be presented, and what is completely absurd, “information in social media”. In other words, the Washington regime in their constructs bases itself on anti-Russian conjectures gathered on the Internet that do not correspond to reality. Who is littering the Web with such rubbish is clear: the same Washington, and probably also Kyiv.

Nevertheless, a number of questions arise for the American side, which is increasingly isolating itself from the possibility of adequately understanding anything apart from its own schemes and conclusions. Before appointing “guilty ones,” the USA should answer the ten questions from the Russian Defense Ministry and the twenty-two questions posed through the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency. Why does Washington then remain silent? Apparently because Washington has nothing to reply. Or because the response boils down to one word: “sanctions”.

We will get through this, but it is deplorable that at the same time the USA is continuing to push Kyiv towards crushing the dissatisfaction of the Russian-speaking population by force. There is only one conclusion: the administration of B. Obama bears its share of responsibility for the internal conflict in Ukraine and its grave consequences.More here.

"Back to the Future" - Putin embraces Fidel Castro.

"Back to the Future" - Putin embraces Fidel Castro.(DM).

Vladimir Putin dropped in on one of Russia's old Cold War allies on Friday, as he began a six-day tour of Latin American with a state visit to Cuba.

The tour included a rare public appearance with the country's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who has been seen in public since the start of the year.

Putin and the 87-year-old leader met to discuss international relations and the economy, as Moscow sought to strengthen ties with its old friend.

The Russian president was also pictured embracing Fidel Castro's younger brother Raul, who took over leadership in 2008. The meetings have been seen by analysts as further attempts to snub the West over its Ukraine sanctions. Cuba and the other countries Putin is due to visit on the trip have been sympathetic or not overly critical of Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.

Before leaving for his Latin America tour, Putin also made remarks on cyber-espionage, saying: 'This is not just blatant hypocrisy in relations between allies and partners. According to the Business Recorder Putin, whose country provided asylum to Ed Snowden, said: 'It is also direct infringement of a country's sovereignty and a breach of human rights, an invasion of privacy.'

His comments came as the CIA chief based in Berlin was asked to leave over allegations that the U.S. spied on Germany's Angela Merkel.

In Cuba, Castro and Putin strengthened their ties, using the official tour to sign about a dozen accords in energy, industry, health and disaster prevention. Shortly before the visit, Moscow wrote off more than $35 billion of Cuba's Soviet-era debt. Speaking about the debt agreement, which clears 90 percent of what Cuba owes, Raul Castro said it was 'another great, tangible generosity of the Russian people toward Cuba.'

In a further sign of Putin turning his back on the West, the Cuban government website announced that Russian companies are to take part in petroleum projects around Boca de Jaruco on Cuba's north coast, and that cooperation will extend to offshore oil deposits.Read the full story here.

Former Navy Seal: Obama Using “Classic Soviet Style Tactics” To Put America In “The Throes Of a Cold Civil War”

Former Navy Seal: Obama Using “Classic Soviet Style Tactics” To Put America In “The Throes Of a Cold Civil War”(NiceDeb).
Very early on in Obama’s term, March 18, 2009,I wrote a post entitled, Outrage After Outrage After Outrage in an attempt to convey my shock and awe at the dizzying rate in which Obama was enacting his destructive agenda.

How can I take a break from politics, and write about light hearted and interesting stories in the news, if virtually everything the man does is an embarrassment and/or God-awful violation of everything patriotic Americans hold dear?
Well it’s been outrage after outrage after outrage for the past three years, as Obama’s Chicago machine hs usurped congressional and constitutional authority and ineffectual Republicans have done little to stop it.

Via Radio Patriot, here’s a hard hitting essay from former Navy Seal, Benjamin Smith, now, a writer, speaker, political strategist and ardent Constitutionalist. Benjamin is a regular contributor to several news outlets including Breitbart and Fox News.

It is his opinion that everything is coming to a head.

On the heels of NDAA, ObamaCare, Stimulus, Son of Stimulus, Patriot Act, takeover of auto, energy, media and movie industries, and the relentless implementation of Agenda 21… the Obama regime running our country into the ground has issued an updated Executive Order which suggests the probability of impending MARTIAL LAW.
We are left to scratch our heads and ask……… Why now?
America is in fact, right now, in the vicious throes of a Cold Civil War.
Cold as in non-violent and Civil as in nationwide; an attempt to force a new government-controlled ideology upon an unwilling public.
And the forces implementing this agenda are relentless.
I cannot tell you exactly what is coming but I know, as do you, that something unprecedented in American history, perhaps even all human history, is coming soon.Hmmm.......Such a nostalgic Czars, Truth Commissars...... only a new October Revolution is missing.Read the full story here.