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Three major Russian news agencies are reporting that Russia is sending three warships carrying some 360 marines total to the Syrian port of Tartus.

The Friday reports, which quote an unnamed military official, could not be independently verified, and Russia's Navy refused to comment on them.

Russia has steadfastly supported Syria's government during its 17-month crackdown on an opposition movement.

The ships are reported to be in the Mediterranean Sea and are expected to arrive at the port within days to deliver food and supplies to a Russian naval base there.

The Russian official says the vessels would shortly return to a Russian port on the Black Sea, according to Interfax and the state-run RIA Novosti and Itar-TASS news agencies.

It wasn't clear if the marines would stay in Syria.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/03/reports-3-russian-warships-headed-for-syrian-port/?intcmp=obinsite#ixzz2368hAG7n


Putin you sly fox.

Uh oh.


they're going to either help them or kill them, both of which will be very messy.

Even money say russian peacekeepers will hit Syria to protect their med fleet base there.

Russia has made no secret of its intention to home port it's Mediterranean fleet in Syria. So it's not terribly sly. Unpopular but open handed.

Not much the US can do if Putin does go that route if Assad ask Russia for military intervention

360 Marines? That's not gonna get much accomplished. It's a security force that'll be used to secure Russian assets. That's what I'm putting my money on.

lol true 360 additional soviet marines not much. Thinking Tonkin Incident type scenario

It was a standard practice that we'd do a lot at the turn of the 19th/20th century whenever a Central American country would decide to do one of it's annual revolutions. We'd send in a security force of Marines to secure American assets, private and public.

Given Syria's close relation with Russia, it's very likely that they have a lot of assets on the ground that they don't want the new eventual regime to loot.

Simply securing the naval base and ensuring it's security

360 doesn't seem like some secret planl to murder all the rebels.

But 360 marines and some warships seem like enough of a force to secure their base and protect it from either rebels or capitalistic pigs.

uh... 360 marines, 3 warship and various weapons vs the Assad army?

Dude... while their marines ain't like our US marines... they ain't no pushover.

They'll take their port and then some...

Assad supported by russia.........

I fought plenty of Russian Marines back in Call of Duty 2, and they're tough hombres.

HMS Ocean carries at most 800 Marines, An LPD like the USS Ogden in Vietnam or USS New York today carries about 700. Our respective governments consider that compliment enough to effect major change in any region.
I saw Interfax quoted that three assault ships, an ASW ship, and four smaller vessels are in the flotilla moving from Northern Fleet to Tartus. The ASW ship is likely an Udaloy class Destroyer, the "smaller ships" are probably a mix of corvettes and minesweepers. The ships carrying the marines, or rather Naval Infantry are likely Ropoucha class landing ships. Whic can carry up to 340 troops and 12 BTR-80s or 500 tons of cargo. If only 120 NI are on each ship that implies 4 BTRs are on each or one full shipload of NI (probably one NI battalion). If and it's a huge IF, those NI unload and they have BMP-3s Russia is really serious.
Either way a battalion of Russian troops supported by light armor, and at least some air support (all Russian NI are air assault trained it is a decent assumption). Is plenty to secure the base and more; it's almost twice as many as the US deployed to Operation Gothic Serpent. Not exactly a resoundingly successful example but the point is the US thought 160 Delta and Rangers were enough to settle down the Somalian Civil War.

whembly wrote:Dude... while their marines ain't like our US marines... they ain't no pushover.

Yeah, they are. Your hubris is showing.

The russian military is basically Frank herbert's Saraukar: a brutal military force recruited from a destitute wasteland.

Right... sure...

We'll see right?

Ouze wrote:I fought plenty of Russian Marines back in Call of Duty 2, and they're tough hombres.

Psssst, Call of Duty 2 was a WW2 game, where you played AS a Russian

I only know this because I was playing it not half an hour ago


I'm with most others that this isn't likely to be anything more than securing their own stuff... But we'll have to wait and see...

whembly wrote:uh... 360 marines, 3 warship and various weapons vs the Assad army?

Dude... while their marines ain't like our US marines... they ain't no pushover.

They'll take their port and then some...

The Russians already lease that port. They're sending marines and ships to secure it from the conflict. They'll likely never leave it.

Jihadin wrote:Assad supported by russia.........

And whats new?

The west is supporting the rebels after all, the UK at least is providing material support offically and I can all but guarantee they are getting a lot more unofficially, just like the Lybian rebels got.

This doesn't seem particullary newsworthy, they are almost certainly there to garrison Russian assets and possibly delivery some more military hardware.