Current Edition About Subscribe The Jerusalem Center

Daily Alert Archive

Every Daily Alert Since 2002

Search

Search more than 90,000 news items by topic, author, or source.
Use " " to search for multiple words and phrases.

Trending Topics

February 25, 2014       Share:    

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/.premium-1.576212

Putin's Ukrainian Port at Sevastopol Is the Heart of Russia's Activity in the Eastern Mediterranean

(Ha'aretz) Amatzia Baram - Russia maintains an enormous military port in the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol, home of Russia's mighty Black Sea Fleet. All Russian activity in the eastern Mediterranean is currently dependent upon the Sevastopol port. However, it is through the Syrian ports of Tartus and Latakia that Russia is transferring increasingly large arms shipments to Assad's army and safeguarding its interests in Damascus. With America's recent wariness of Egypt, contacts are being pursued between Moscow and Cairo for a $2 billion arms deal that would be financed by Saudi Arabia. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Sevastopol port is indirectly the key to Syria and perhaps to Egypt and the entire Mediterranean in the future. If Ukraine degenerates into chaos, Russia's naval base in Sevastopol will be in danger. If that happens, Putin may have an interest in seeing Ukraine split, for he will have no choice but to seize control of Sevastopol and the surrounding area, or even of Eastern Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula where it is situated. Professor Baram teaches Middle East history at Haifa University.

View the full edition of Daily Alert

Back to Archive

Subscribe to Daily Alert: