Sometimes Putin enrages and frustrates me. Sometimes he makes me thank God he's in charge of Russia.
Putin wants a navy. Good luck with that. I mean, really, good luck with that:
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conviction that a “world power needs a great navy” goes a long way in explaining Russia’s growing naval presence and operations in the Eastern Mediterranean and along the African coast, a senior American intelligence officer said Thursday.
Christopher Bort, a specialist for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council, said that since 2013 Putin has placed more emphasis on its naval presence — first in Syria, where it has a base, and then working to close a deal on establishing a naval logistics facility in Sudan.
Speaking at an Atlantic Council forum, he added that this increased naval visibility is “not just in the Mediterranean, but in the Pacific.”
But the realities of Moscow’s struggling economic situation mean translating a goal of building and maintaining a “great navy” needed to be a world power is “easier said than done,” Bort said.
I absolutely want Russia to spend money on a navy to deploy to distant locations. Build carriers!
Because a blue water navy is a complete waste for Russia.
Thankfully, the Russians are immune to my words of advice.
I sometimes think this Russian push south is a post-facto justification for capturing Crimea and proving how needed that territory is.
So as Russia pushes to sea and gives some of our allies' navies something to do while diverting resources from more dangerous fronts, I'll be in my bunk. Celebrating.
