A Turkish Navy cost guard boat (l.) escorts the Russian Navy destroyer Smetlivy in the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, July 11. Murad Sezer/Reuters
Moscow Sends Warships To Syria: War Games Or Evacuation? -- Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor
Almost half the ships in a Russian flotilla headed to Syria are well suited for transporting large numbers of people. As many as 100,000 Russians may live in Syria.
A Russian flotilla of a dozen warships, drawn from three naval fleets, is headed for the eastern Mediterranean to hold maneuvers, and will put into the Syrian port of Tartus, where Russia operates a naval supply base.
Russian officials insist these war games were scheduled long ago, and that they are designed for all the usual purposes of such exercises, primarily showing the flag in far-flung regions of the globe. But one striking detail tells a very different story: almost half the ships headed for the Mediterranean from Russia's Arctic, Baltic, and Black Sea fleets are giant amphibious assault craft.
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My Comment: There are thousands of Russians living and/or working in Syria. If the entire country goes "to hell" .... there will not only be a humanitarian crisis but also a refugee crisis of which most of these Russians and their families will be wanting to bail out of the country ASAP. I appreciate why western governments are concerned by these Russian naval maneuvers .... but this is Russia preparing for the worst case scenario .... a prospect that they are now believing will be happening sooner rather than later.