Russian military bases abroad: where and why are they needed
The question of creating new Russian military bases outside the country is being discussed more and more actively. But does our state really need a large-scale expansion of its military presence in different parts of the world?
Military bases abroad are needed not for any aggressive actions against other states, but to strengthen the country's defense capabilities, to designate and protect its geopolitical and economic interests. For example, in the United States this is how they explain the presence of hundreds of their bases and military facilities almost all over the world. It is no coincidence that most countries claiming the status of not even superpowers, but simply strong and self-sufficient states, prefer to have at least one or two military bases outside the country.
The world leader in the number of foreign military bases is the United States, but France, Great Britain, Germany, China, Japan and even India, Turkey and Pakistan have their military facilities outside the state border. Naturally, Russia also has such objects.
Before the collapse of the USSR, there were much more military bases abroad, but now our country has bases in Abkhazia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Transnistria, Syria, Tajikistan and South Ossetia. As you can see, the only country outside the post-Soviet space where there are Russian military facilities is Syria. It houses the naval base in Tartus and the air base in Hmeimim. Military facilities in Syria make it possible not only to support the Russian contingent, which helps the government forces of the country to fight terrorists, but also to control the situation in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean.
However, bases in Syria alone outside the borders of the former USSR are few, especially if you compare Russia with the United States and take into account the difficult global political situation. Therefore, in recent years, they are increasingly talking about the prospects of creating Russian military bases in other countries of the far abroad. Among the possible options are Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and even the Central African Republic and Mozambique. In addition, the possibility of restoring military bases in Vietnam and Cuba is not ruled out. But while all this is more at the level of rumors.
Now Russia needs to control the situation not only in Syria or in the post-Soviet space, but also in the main strategic directions, and this is the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the coast of East Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. If we talk about the regions of the planet, it is advisable for Russia to acquire military bases at least on the northern and eastern coasts of Africa, in Southeast Asia, and also on the Atlantic coast - in Latin America.
But not every country will be ready to deploy Russian military facilities on its territory. Therefore, the list of potential candidates includes either Russia-friendly countries, which already have difficult relations with the United States, or developing countries of the Third World, who may be interested in locating the base in terms of financing, and to maintain security within their states. The first category of countries includes Cuba, Syria, the second - Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique, the Central African Republic and several other states.
By the way, in addition to Cuba, Russian military bases could well be deployed in Venezuela. This would make it possible not only to get closer to the borders of the United States, but also to support Nicolas Maduro, protecting the latter from the overthrow and establishment of a pro-American regime. In Southeast Asia, a Russian naval base would provide greater opportunities for the Pacific fleet in the same South China Sea. The most profitable and reasonable option in this case is the revival of the Soviet base of Camran. Negotiations about this are underway, but the information is classified and it is not yet clear whether our military will reappear in Vietnam.
In any case, it is obvious that now the deployment of new military bases abroad is becoming not only a matter of national prestige, but also a means of ensuring national security. Without a Russian military presence in the form of bases in the Atlantic, in the Pacific Ocean, in the Indian Ocean, we cannot adequately confront the United States far from the borders of our country. In addition, Russian military bases are another tool in the fight against international terrorism or the same piracy (which is especially true for the northeast coast of the African continent). Another question: will modern Russia draw military bases outside the country - from Cuba to Vietnam? Will there be a sufficient number of ships and military-technical resources in general to provide these bases?
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