The Independent: Russian “rusty old stuff” has become a high-tech shock for the West and Israel
30 January, The Independent’s British publication published an article entitled “War in Syria: Russia's military cket cket rbs military reconnaissance and shock to the West and Israel’ ”(“ War in Syria: Russian “rusty old stuff” was a high-tech shock for the West and Israel ”) by Kim Sengupta. The author of this publication summed up the preliminary results of recent events in the Middle East. To this end, he reviewed the views that existed until recently and recent events, and also tried to draw some conclusions about the prospects for the international situation.
At the beginning of his article, K. Sengupta recalls what opinions have been circulating in recent years. It was believed that the armed forces of Russia have outdated material part and strategy. Bombs and missiles were "more stupid than clever," and the fleet was "more rusty than ready." For several decades, similar opinions were shared by many Western military leaders. They treated their Russian colleagues with undisguised condescension. Nevertheless, what they saw in Syria and in Ukraine was a real shock.
At present, the Russian armed forces are demonstrating a high intensity of combat work. Thus, in the course of the Syrian operation, the VCS performs more sorties in a day than a coalition led by the United States in an entire month. The Russian Navy attacked targets in Syria from a distance of about 900 miles. Finally, it should be remembered about the logistics system responsible for the supply groups in Syria. K. Sengupta also notes the high potential of the Russian air defense system. The systems deployed in Syria and in Eastern Ukraine make it impossible to attack the troops of Bashar al-Assad and the Ukrainian separatists.
Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, who holds the post of commander of the United States troops in Europe, has already noted Russia's achievements in the field of electronic warfare. Although it was previously believed that Russia was lagging behind in these directions, recent events have shown that Russian troops have excellent systems.
The deployment of air defense systems continues. According to Lieutenant General Frank Gorenko, chief of operations of the US Air Force in Europe, Russia is now deploying anti-aircraft weapons in the Crimea, taken from Ukraine in 2014, as well as in the Kaliningrad region, “squeezed” between Lithuania and Poland. Such actions of official Moscow, according to the general, pose serious difficulties for aviation NATO. There are safety problems when flying in various areas, including in several regions of Poland.
The author of The Independent notes that not only Western countries are concerned about Russia's actions. In particular, the recent events in Syria make the Israeli leadership nervous. Russian weapons and equipment appear at the northern borders of Israel, which is why the leadership of this country can only guess what the current situation may lead to. Israel’s greatest concern is that the most advanced Russian-made weapons could get into Iran, which is considered to be Jerusalem’s main danger. In addition, modern systems can go to other Arab states, whose relations with Israel are also far from ideal. All such processes can lead to the fact that Israeli aircraft can no longer count on unconditional air superiority - the main advantage over the armed forces of unfriendly neighboring countries.
The new military power, in the opinion of the British journalist, is at the heart of the recent strategic victories of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia's intervention in the Syrian war has led to a significant change in the situation, and its further development seriously depends on V. Putin’s plans. The Ukrainian conflict was partially frozen, and on the terms of the Russian president. In addition, Russia clearly shows its plans for rapprochement with the Kurds and does not pay attention to the wrathful reaction of Turkey. Finally, and more importantly, Russia is returning to Egypt. The latest agreements of the two countries imply cooperation of such a scale as the 44 of the year has not been since the days of President Anwar Sadat.
Describing the situation, K. Sengupta cites the opinion of an Israeli military intelligence analyst who had previously spoken to journalists from The Independent. This specialist argues that now any party wanting to do something in the Middle East will first have to talk with Moscow.
The author of The Independent notes that V. Putin is not without pleasure talking about the new military capabilities with which he was able to come to the current situation. According to the Russian president, the West was able to make sure that modern weapons really exist, and are also being operated by well-trained specialists. In addition, foreign countries were convinced that Russia is ready to apply this weapon in their own interests.
The author notes the high intensity of the combat work of aerospace forces. Russian aviation makes several dozen combat missions a day, right up to 96. The same number of sorties western coalition, led by the United States, performs for a month. Western military strategists are forced to recognize the striking differences in the work of the Russian and foreign air forces. In particular, during the operation in Kosovo and Libya, foreign aviation quickly “exhausted” and began to reduce the number of combat sorties.
One of the reasons for the insufficient intensity of the foreign coalition, in the opinion of K. Sengupta, are the features of the military-political situation in the Middle East. A number of states that are members of a coalition led by the United States prefer to strike not DAISH terrorists, but to carry out operations in Yemen, where there is a confrontation with local factions and Iran supporting them. Similarly, Turkey, which does not fight terrorists, but bomb Kurds, also works.
Over the past months, Western commanders and officials have repeatedly argued that Russian aviation strikes not only the targets of the Islamic State (a terrorist group banned in Russia), but also other formations. In addition, there is the lack of intelligibility of the Russian military in the search for targets, due to the lack of concern about civilian casualties and the presence of only unguided weapons.
The author recalls that Russia never promised to destroy only the objects of the Islamic State group. Moreover, it was repeatedly stated that all terrorists would be the target of the attacks. By agreement between Moscow and Damascus, the majority of the formations, called the moderate opposition, were ranked among the latter. The author also recalls the experience of the Chechen wars, which show that the Russian armed forces are not inclined to focus on "collateral damage." In addition, from the published data it was possible to conclude that at the early stage of the Syrian operation, most of the strikes were carried out with the use of unguided weapons, although this contradicts official statements.
At the present time, at the Hmeimim airbase, a grouping of aviation equipment, consisting of old and new aircraft, is based. According to The Independent, 34 aircraft is present at the airport in Latakia: 12 Su-25, 4 Su-30СМ, 12 Su-24М and 6 Su-34. In addition, the base contains helicopters and an unidentified number of unmanned aerial vehicles.
An increase in the intensity of the work of Su-34 bombers is gradually being made. According to K. Sengupta, this may be due to the characteristics of the available equipment and the characteristics of the situation. So, Su-25 attack aircraft - war veterans in Chechnya and Georgia - may be vulnerable to man-portable air defense systems. The latter, according to some sources, can be supplied by Turkey and Saudi Arabia to some of their loyal groups.
After the incident with the attack and the destruction of the Russian bomber Su-24M, which occurred in November last year, Russia transferred to Syria modern means of air defense. The main element of the enhanced air defense system was the C-400 "Triumph". This system greatly unnerves Israel, since, falling into the "wrong hands", can significantly change the balance of power in the region. The C-400 complex includes radar detection equipment and missile launchers. The complex is able to find and destroy targets at ranges up to 250 miles. Thus, the “Triumph” complex, deployed on the base of Hamim, not only monitors the Syrian airspace, but also “covers” half of Israel.
Another “sobering experience” for NATO, according to the author, was the deployment of radio-electronic systems in Ukraine. It is alleged that during the conflict in the Donbas a complex of electronic warfare "Krasukha-4" was deployed, which could interfere with the work of the enemy's radar, including long-range radar detection aircraft. The emergence and operation of such technology makes foreign commanders make far from optimistic statements. Thus, the deputy head of the cyber command of the US armed forces, Ronald Pontius, argues that the pace of development of American technology does not meet the requirements dictated by new threats.
Considering the situation and coming to negative conclusions, General F. Gorenck is forced to admit that Russia, in the course of developing its armed forces, does not violate any international agreements and has the full right to implement its plans. In Syria, Russian troops use bombers and cruise missiles, and their purpose is to demonstrate their ability to influence the situation in certain regions or even throughout the world.
After that, the author of The Independent makes the main conclusion. Russia is returning to the international arena as a full-fledged force capable of influencing the situation in different regions. In this regard, the West will have to make a choice and determine a strategy for its further actions. Western states should choose what to do next: start a new stage of confrontation with Russia or look for opportunities to come together and restore good relations?
***
Using the events in Ukraine and Syria as an example, the author of the article “War in Syria: Rural Military Rulers' Military Delvers” reviews the latest achievements of Russia in the field of modernizing the armed forces and operating new weapons in real conflicts. Despite following the official position of some foreign countries (first of all, these are statements about the presence of Russian troops in the Donbass), The Independent's article is of some interest and reveals the existing situation.
The general conclusions of Kim Sengupta are in the title of the article. Recent events have shown that Russian weapons and equipment are not really “rusty junk.” On the contrary, the most modern models come into service, some of which, in their characteristics, are not only not inferior to foreign analogues, but also surpass them. Previously, when assessing the capabilities of new developments, it was possible to rely only on official reports and intelligence data, and now experts can familiarize themselves with the results of the actual use of new systems.
Having such new data, the author makes certain conclusions. The article ends with an assumption about the relationship of new weapons and the foreign policy potential of Russia. The renewal of the armed forces allows the country to influence different regions, if not the whole world. In this case, foreign states will have to take into account this force and a new major player in the international arena. According to the author, the West can take one of two ways: continue the confrontation with Russia or try to make friends with it again. How exactly the international situation will develop - time will tell. It is unlikely that foreign countries should take the path of further deterioration in relations.
An article entitled “War in Syria: Reliable Rustbucket” military delivers and hi-tech shock:
http://independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/war-in-syria-russia-s-rustbucket-military-delivers-a-hi-tech-shock-to-west-and-israel-a6842711.html
Information