Business Watch
President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation has drawn a line in the sand over Syria, the government of which he is determined to protect from overthrow. Not since the end of the Cold War in 1991 has the Russian Bear asserted itself so forcefully beyond its borders in support of claims on great power status. In essence, Russia is attempting to play the role in Syria that France did in Algeria in the 1990s, of supporting the military government against rebels, many of them linked to political Islam. France and its allies prevailed, at the cost of some 150,000 dead. Can Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pull off the same sort of victory?
A group of warships from Russia’s Pacific Fleet has entered the Mediterranean waters for the first time since the Cold War, RIA Novosti reports.
Russia has recently unveiled its Project 1239 rocket ship to the world. Representing Russia's Black Sea Fleet, the unique missile hovercraft "Bora" took part in the international exhibition of defense industry AIDEF 2013, which was held in Istanbul on May 7-10. The newest Russian rocket ships of this type will soon turn 20 years old.
SANAA, YEMEN — A Russian-made Yemeni military jet ploughed into a residential district of the capital Sanaa on Monday, killing the pilot, officials said, and witnesses said it exploded in mid-air before crashing.
A Russian military aircraft violated Finnish airspace over the Gulf of Finland around mid-day on Monday.