According to Abkhaz authorities, Russia intends to build a new naval base in Ochamchira, near the port of Abkhazian. Since none of this is official, it's hard to say if this is part of the long-awaited decision to relocate Russia's Black Sea fleet.
If so, the Ukrainians will breath a sigh of relief, since the clock is ticking on Russia's mandated pullout of its 16,000 man Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. (Check out time is 2017, but it takes a while to pack a fleet and clear out the mini-bar.)
Unfortunately, what's good for Ukraine is bad for Georgia, since Ochamchira is technically part of Georgia's internationally-recognized territory.
However, it is also possible that the Ochamchira is not going to be the new home of Russia's fleet. In fact, it could be part of just another Kremlin-inspired "support the Abkhaz economy by stationing a few sailors in a port" strategy. And by Abkhaz economy, we mean all the fun and exciting service industries which pop up around a fleet, like mushrooms after the rain.
1 comment:
Global warming needs to hurry up, so they can just move the fleet to Murmansk.
Post a Comment