Russia Gives Direct Military Assistance to Hezbollah

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that Russia has moved from giving financial aid and diplomatic cover to terrorist organizations to providing them with military intelligence to be used in attacking Israel, just as it provided U.S. military secrets to Iraq during the U.S. invasion of that country.

During the fighting in Lebanon, Hezbollah received direct intelligence support from Syria, using data collected by listening posts jointly manned by Russian and Syrian crews. Hezbollah was also fed intelligence from new listening posts built on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, which are operated jointly with Iran. This information was confirmed in recent reports by the defense journal Jane’s.

Syria’s centrality to the collection and transfer of intelligence to Hezbollah is based on separate agreements Damascus signed with Moscow and Tehran on intelligence cooperation. The agreement with Russia is much older than the one with Iran, which was signed earlier this year. As happened with the significant numbers of advanced Russian anti-tank missiles procured by Syria and transferred to Hezbollah, Russia found itself operating indirectly in favor of the Lebanese Shi’ite organization in matters of intelligence.

In addition to the profits from arms sales to Syria, the Russo-Syrian intelligence cooperation benefits Moscow in terms of the actual first-hand data collected by the listening posts. Russia is also involved in assisting Syria to enlarge two of its ports on the Mediterranean, Latakia and Tartus. Reports of this development have emerged only recently. Israel complained to Russia regarding the transfer of advanced anti-tank missiles sold to Syria. Moscow denied the reports but also promised to investigate Israel’s claims.

It is not clear whether Israel also protested over the transfer of intelligence collected by the Russian-Syrian listening posts to Hezbollah. The intelligence cooperation agreement between Syria and Iran is new. It is part of a broader strategic cooperation accord between the two states that was achieved in November 2005 and confirmed during the visit to Damascus in January 2006 of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The agreement on intelligence cooperation gives great emphasis to electronic surveillance and involves the construction of four listening stations. According to Jane’s, the funding for the stations, estimated in the neighborhood of dozens of million dollars, came mostly from the budget of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Two of these stations were built prior to July 12, the date the fighting began in Lebanon. One was constructed at Baab al-Hawa, close to Syria’s border with Turkey, and a second, which began operating in early June, was set up on the Golan Heights. Two other stations will be constructed no later than January 2007. Iran has focused on potential threats against its territory as a result of the friction that has emerged between Tehran and the international community over its failure to freeze its nuclear enrichment program.

The Revolutionary Guard is keen to broaden its involvement in the Middle East in general and enhance its intelligence-gathering capabilities on activities in the Mediterranean region. In addition to Israel, which is an obvious target of this intelligence-gathering effort, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and American forces in the region are also of great interest. According to the Jane’s report, in its agreement of intelligence cooperation with Syria, Iran insisted that no Russian intelligence officers should be allowed access to the new listening posts, despite the long standing deal between Damascus and Moscow.

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Rich, Powerful "Energy Superpower" Russia Can’t Afford Electricity

The Moscow Times reports that so-called “energy superpower” Russia can’t provide itself with enough electricity during the winter without shutting down its industrial base whenever the weather gets chilly, and things are worse this year than last. As usual, the Kremlin refuses to make full information about the issue public:

Hoping to avert blackouts this winter, the city will cut off electricity to industrial users when the temperature sinks to minus 15 degrees Celsius, 15 degrees higher than last winter.

The announcement by Boris Vainzikher, technical director of Unified Energy Systems, or UES, came at Tuesday’s City Hall meeting. With last winter’s limit set at minus 30 C, Moscow saw a daily consumption record Jan. 20, when 16,200 megawatts of electricity were consumed. But with the city’s electric grid stretched to capacity, authorities are trying to preempt days like that — and widespread outages.

It is unclear how many companies saw their power cut last winter. At least 253 companies, accounting for 2 percent of total consumption, received official warnings that they would be cut off. Among those companies affected was Independent Media Sanoma Magazines, the pubisher of The Moscow Times. The risk of outages will decrease next year as new power plants go on line, Vainzikher said.

First Deputy Mayor Yury Roslyak, who presided over the meeting, told city officials to make sure the first companies to lose power were those that used their energy inefficiently according to industry standards. City officials were less receptive to UES plans to burn more oil at Moscow power plants to compensate for a natural gas shortage.

The combustion of large amounts of oil would lead to serious pollution, Roslyak said, asking Vainzikher to reconsider. A city official who was not introduced by authorities at the meeting said burning more oil could cause acid rain. In other business, government officials gave preliminary approval to a plan to clean up the Likhoborka River in northern Moscow. But Roslyak had many criticisms of the measure, ordering that amendments addressing those concerns be drafted.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Rich, Powerful "Energy Superpower" Russia Can’t Afford Electricity

The Moscow Times reports that so-called “energy superpower” Russia can’t provide itself with enough electricity during the winter without shutting down its industrial base whenever the weather gets chilly, and things are worse this year than last. As usual, the Kremlin refuses to make full information about the issue public:

Hoping to avert blackouts this winter, the city will cut off electricity to industrial users when the temperature sinks to minus 15 degrees Celsius, 15 degrees higher than last winter.

The announcement by Boris Vainzikher, technical director of Unified Energy Systems, or UES, came at Tuesday’s City Hall meeting. With last winter’s limit set at minus 30 C, Moscow saw a daily consumption record Jan. 20, when 16,200 megawatts of electricity were consumed. But with the city’s electric grid stretched to capacity, authorities are trying to preempt days like that — and widespread outages.

It is unclear how many companies saw their power cut last winter. At least 253 companies, accounting for 2 percent of total consumption, received official warnings that they would be cut off. Among those companies affected was Independent Media Sanoma Magazines, the pubisher of The Moscow Times. The risk of outages will decrease next year as new power plants go on line, Vainzikher said.

First Deputy Mayor Yury Roslyak, who presided over the meeting, told city officials to make sure the first companies to lose power were those that used their energy inefficiently according to industry standards. City officials were less receptive to UES plans to burn more oil at Moscow power plants to compensate for a natural gas shortage.

The combustion of large amounts of oil would lead to serious pollution, Roslyak said, asking Vainzikher to reconsider. A city official who was not introduced by authorities at the meeting said burning more oil could cause acid rain. In other business, government officials gave preliminary approval to a plan to clean up the Likhoborka River in northern Moscow. But Roslyak had many criticisms of the measure, ordering that amendments addressing those concerns be drafted.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Rich, Powerful "Energy Superpower" Russia Can’t Afford Electricity

The Moscow Times reports that so-called “energy superpower” Russia can’t provide itself with enough electricity during the winter without shutting down its industrial base whenever the weather gets chilly, and things are worse this year than last. As usual, the Kremlin refuses to make full information about the issue public:

Hoping to avert blackouts this winter, the city will cut off electricity to industrial users when the temperature sinks to minus 15 degrees Celsius, 15 degrees higher than last winter.

The announcement by Boris Vainzikher, technical director of Unified Energy Systems, or UES, came at Tuesday’s City Hall meeting. With last winter’s limit set at minus 30 C, Moscow saw a daily consumption record Jan. 20, when 16,200 megawatts of electricity were consumed. But with the city’s electric grid stretched to capacity, authorities are trying to preempt days like that — and widespread outages.

It is unclear how many companies saw their power cut last winter. At least 253 companies, accounting for 2 percent of total consumption, received official warnings that they would be cut off. Among those companies affected was Independent Media Sanoma Magazines, the pubisher of The Moscow Times. The risk of outages will decrease next year as new power plants go on line, Vainzikher said.

First Deputy Mayor Yury Roslyak, who presided over the meeting, told city officials to make sure the first companies to lose power were those that used their energy inefficiently according to industry standards. City officials were less receptive to UES plans to burn more oil at Moscow power plants to compensate for a natural gas shortage.

The combustion of large amounts of oil would lead to serious pollution, Roslyak said, asking Vainzikher to reconsider. A city official who was not introduced by authorities at the meeting said burning more oil could cause acid rain. In other business, government officials gave preliminary approval to a plan to clean up the Likhoborka River in northern Moscow. But Roslyak had many criticisms of the measure, ordering that amendments addressing those concerns be drafted.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Rich, Powerful "Energy Superpower" Russia Can’t Afford Electricity

The Moscow Times reports that so-called “energy superpower” Russia can’t provide itself with enough electricity during the winter without shutting down its industrial base whenever the weather gets chilly, and things are worse this year than last. As usual, the Kremlin refuses to make full information about the issue public:

Hoping to avert blackouts this winter, the city will cut off electricity to industrial users when the temperature sinks to minus 15 degrees Celsius, 15 degrees higher than last winter.

The announcement by Boris Vainzikher, technical director of Unified Energy Systems, or UES, came at Tuesday’s City Hall meeting. With last winter’s limit set at minus 30 C, Moscow saw a daily consumption record Jan. 20, when 16,200 megawatts of electricity were consumed. But with the city’s electric grid stretched to capacity, authorities are trying to preempt days like that — and widespread outages.

It is unclear how many companies saw their power cut last winter. At least 253 companies, accounting for 2 percent of total consumption, received official warnings that they would be cut off. Among those companies affected was Independent Media Sanoma Magazines, the pubisher of The Moscow Times. The risk of outages will decrease next year as new power plants go on line, Vainzikher said.

First Deputy Mayor Yury Roslyak, who presided over the meeting, told city officials to make sure the first companies to lose power were those that used their energy inefficiently according to industry standards. City officials were less receptive to UES plans to burn more oil at Moscow power plants to compensate for a natural gas shortage.

The combustion of large amounts of oil would lead to serious pollution, Roslyak said, asking Vainzikher to reconsider. A city official who was not introduced by authorities at the meeting said burning more oil could cause acid rain. In other business, government officials gave preliminary approval to a plan to clean up the Likhoborka River in northern Moscow. But Roslyak had many criticisms of the measure, ordering that amendments addressing those concerns be drafted.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Rich, Powerful "Energy Superpower" Russia Can’t Afford Electricity

The Moscow Times reports that so-called “energy superpower” Russia can’t provide itself with enough electricity during the winter without shutting down its industrial base whenever the weather gets chilly, and things are worse this year than last. As usual, the Kremlin refuses to make full information about the issue public:

Hoping to avert blackouts this winter, the city will cut off electricity to industrial users when the temperature sinks to minus 15 degrees Celsius, 15 degrees higher than last winter.

The announcement by Boris Vainzikher, technical director of Unified Energy Systems, or UES, came at Tuesday’s City Hall meeting. With last winter’s limit set at minus 30 C, Moscow saw a daily consumption record Jan. 20, when 16,200 megawatts of electricity were consumed. But with the city’s electric grid stretched to capacity, authorities are trying to preempt days like that — and widespread outages.

It is unclear how many companies saw their power cut last winter. At least 253 companies, accounting for 2 percent of total consumption, received official warnings that they would be cut off. Among those companies affected was Independent Media Sanoma Magazines, the pubisher of The Moscow Times. The risk of outages will decrease next year as new power plants go on line, Vainzikher said.

First Deputy Mayor Yury Roslyak, who presided over the meeting, told city officials to make sure the first companies to lose power were those that used their energy inefficiently according to industry standards. City officials were less receptive to UES plans to burn more oil at Moscow power plants to compensate for a natural gas shortage.

The combustion of large amounts of oil would lead to serious pollution, Roslyak said, asking Vainzikher to reconsider. A city official who was not introduced by authorities at the meeting said burning more oil could cause acid rain. In other business, government officials gave preliminary approval to a plan to clean up the Likhoborka River in northern Moscow. But Roslyak had many criticisms of the measure, ordering that amendments addressing those concerns be drafted.

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !

Another Russian Journalist Goes on Trial

The Moscow Times reports that yet another journalist is going on trial in Russia for daring to report facts the Kremlin doesn’t approve of. Welcome to the Neo-Soviet Union:

A Moscow journalist went on trial Tuesday on charges of inciting ethnic hatred in reports about the war in Chechnya.

Boris Stomakhin was editor of the monthly newspaper Radikalnaya Politika and contributed articles to the rebel Kavkaz Center web site.

The Butyrsky District Court rejected appeals Tuesday from defense lawyers for Stomakhin to be released for the duration of the trial, a court spokeswoman said. The court then adjourned until Thursday.

Stomakhin’s mother, Regina, joined about 20 other supporters outside the northern Moscow court to protest the treatment of her son, who walks with crutches after having fallen from the fourth story of a building during his arrest in March.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says the case is politically motivated. “He has been kept in a cell all this time, despite the fact that he is practically paralyzed,” Stomakhin’s lawyer Alexei Golubev said. Stomakhin suffered spinal injuries and a broken ankle in the fall, Golubev said.

Stomakhin wrote political commentary pieces published on Kavkazcenter.com and in Radikalnaya Politika. He frequently called Russia’s presence in Chechnya an “occupation,” and compared President Vladimir Putin to Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milosevic.

Stomakhin had evaded capture for more than two years. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison.

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Berzerk Kremlin Conducts Pogrom Against Georgians

USA Today reports that once again Russia is crazily cutting off its nose to spite its face. Not only is it conducting official pogroms against Georgians inside Russia, the very Georgians who would be most supportive of Russia’s position in the spy scandal, but it is claiming to be “shocked, shocked” by Georgia’s confrontational position even while Russia adopts exactly the same position in regard to the United States, sending all manner of military support to America’s deadliest foes. This is Neo-Soviet foreign policy at its most ham-handed; Russia is literally forcing Georgia in to the waiting arms of NATO, terrifying all its East European allies, confirming the worst predictions about its intentions made here on La Russophobe and galvanizing the world against Russian imperialism, undoing years of Putin’s KGB stealth propaganda campaign all while picking a fight it can’t possibly win (if Russia couln’t handle Chechnya, imagine what will happen if it tries to use military force against relatively gigantic and heavily allied Georgia). When Iran is the topic, Russia calls for diplomacy. When it’s Georgia, only confrontation will do.

President Vladimir Putin warned Georgia on Wednesday that no country should get away with threatening Russia, setting the stage for passage of a parliamentary motion fiercely condemning Tbilisi’s pro-Western leadership.

“I would not counsel anyone to talk to Russia in the language of provocations and blackmail,” Putin told the heads of the parliamentary factions, adding that he was speaking specifically about Georgia.

Russia slapped a transport and postal blockade on Tbilisi on Tuesday as retaliation for Georgia’s arrest of four Russian military officers accused of espionage. Police, meanwhile, were targeting the large Georgian Diaspora in Moscow with raids of businesses and restaurants.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday the blockade would stand despite Georgia’s release of the officers Monday.

Lavrov said the measures were aimed at cutting off criminal flows of money he claimed was being used by the Georgian leadership to increase its military might in preparation for the “forceful seizure” of two pro-Russian breakaway regions.

But the real aim appears to be to punish Georgia’s President Mikhail Saakashvili for his defiance of Russia through the detention of its officers on spying charges. The dispute more widely reflects Kremlin alarm at Tbilisi’s goal of NATO membership and the growing U.S. influence in its former Soviet backyard.

Putin said Russia was intent on “guaranteeing the rights of our citizens in the near and far abroad,” the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

Earlier Wednesday, a Kremlin official was quoted as saying that the sanctions — a suspension of air, road, maritime, rail and postal links — would not be lifted until Georgia ended its “hostile rhetoric” toward Russia.

“The range of measures are a response to the situation and consequently their duration will depend on how long the hostile rhetoric (of the Georgian leadership) continues,” the Gazeta.ru news website quoted Modest Kolerov, the Russian presidential administration’s official in charge of regional relations, as saying.

Later this week, the Russian parliament is set to consider a bill that would allow the government to bar Georgians living in Russia from sending money home — which would deal a huge blow to Georgia’s struggling economy.

According to some estimates, about 1 million of Georgia’s 4.4 million population work in Russia, and their families rely on the hundreds of millions of dollars (euros) in annual remittances.
Piling on the pressure, authorities Tuesday closed a popular casino run by Georgians in the Russian capital, saying it did not have authorization for its casino tables and slot machines. They also raided a hotel and two restaurants run by Georgians, saying they could be closed for legal violations.

The Kommersant daily quoted police officials as saying that 40 Georgian restaurants and shops in downtown Moscow would be raided in the next few days.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, meanwhile, said Wednesday that the pullout of Russian troops in Georgia could be accelerated because of the tensions there.

He told reporters on a visit to the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, that Russia would “be withdrawing the Russian bases there according to the schedule, and maybe in an accelerated order. Because everybody understands the state of our soldiers and officers give the conditions that they are in there.”

Russia has 3,000-4,000 troops at two military bases in Georgia, and pledged in a deal signed last year to withdraw its troops by the end of 2008.

Russia’s chilly relations with Georgia have worsened steadily since Saakashvili came to power following the 2003 Rose Revolution, vowing to take the country out of Russia’s orbit, reign in the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and join NATO in 2008. Georgia accuses Russia of backing the separatists, which Russia denies.

At the United Nations in New York, Russia ratcheted up diplomatic pressure on Georgia by circulating a draft U.N. Security Council resolution Tuesday that would link the future of a U.N. observer mission with demands that the government stop “provocative actions” over Abkhazia.

The United States urged Moscow to end the punitive measures, echoing a similar call from the European Union.

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LR Milestone

La Russophobe is pleased to announce another milestone in the history of this blog. On Friday September 29th, as the events in Georgia were reaching fever pitch, the blog recorded its first day with more than 200 visits (there were 241 visits that day) and more than 400 page views (there were 468). LR is currently averaging 160 visits and 320 page views per day. With 13,500 visits as of today, LR is on track to clock 20,000 visits by mid-November, and will shortly become the most visited English language Russia politics blog in the world (it is already the most trafficked).

Thanks for reading La Russophobe !