Venezuelan president proposes new Russian church in Caracas

 

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has proposed building a new Russian church in Caracas, the chief spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church said Friday.

“We do have small churches here. But the president has proposed building a Russian Orthodox church that would be consistent with the level of bilateral relations,” Metropolitan Kirill told journalists after meeting with Chavez at the presidential residence.

Gazprom to become Russia-Venezuela energy consortium operator

 

Gazprom is set to become the operator for a Russia-Venezuela oil and gas consortium, the head of the Russian energy giant’s external economic activities department said Wednesday.

“Gazprom will at least receive the operator status in the first stage. This was the request of the Venezuelan partners,” Stanislav Tsygankov told journalists.

Venezuela To Spend One Billion Dollar Russian Loan On Air Defense

Venezuela plans to use most of the $1 bln loan granted by Russia to buy air-defense systems, a Russian military analyst has said. Russia announced the loan offer earlier on Friday, during a visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

“Venezuela needs primarily Tor-M1 surface to air systems to protect the airfields where the 24 Su-30 MK2 jet fighters it bought from Russia are based,” said Konstantin Makiyenko, deputy director of the Center for Strategic Analysis, a Moscow based think tank.

Hugo Chavez arrives in Russia to say hello from Fidel Castro and spend 30 billion dollars

http://english.pravda.ru

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who arrived in Russia with a short visit upon the invitation from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, had his first meeting scheduled with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Chavez said hello to Putin from Fidel Castro.

 

Putin said during the meeting with Chavez that Russia and Venezuela had new horizons of economic cooperation to explore. In particular, Moscow is ready to consider an opportunity of cooperation with Venezuela in the peaceful use of nuclear power.

Speaking about the expansion of bilateral ties, Putin emphasized the launch of Gazprom’s first drilling station in the Gulf of Venezuela, which is slated to take place at the end of October. “The cooperation between Russian companies and the Venezuelan state oil company has very good perspectives not only in Venezuela, but in third world countries too,” Putin said.

“We have new opportunities opening in the economic field: energy, high technologies, machine-building and petrochemistry. We are ready to consider the question of the joint usage of nuclear power in peaceful purposes,” Putin said.

As for the cooperation in the defense industry, Putin said that Russia was determined to realize the agreements on the naval cooperation too. A group of Russian warships is currently traveling to the Atlantic Ocean, Putin reminded.

Russian Navy deploys ships to Venezuela

 

By Ilya Kramnik

A Russian Navy squadron set off for Venezuela Monday in a deployment of Russian military power to the Western Hemisphere unprecedented since the Cold War.

During the Cold War, Latin America became an ideological battleground between the Soviet Union and the United States.

The Kremlin has recently moved to intensify contacts with Venezuela, Cuba and other Latin American nations amid strained relations with Washington after last month’s conflict between Russia and Georgia.

The squadron comprising the Russian Northern Fleet’s Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) battle cruiser and the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship Admiral Chabanenko will participate in exercises off the Venezuelan coast.

Venezuela to spend $1 bln Russian loan on air-defense systems

 

Venezuela plans to use most of the $1 bln loan granted by Russia to buy air-defense systems, a Russian military analyst said on Friday.

Russia announced the loan offer earlier on Friday, during a visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Russian Navy deploys ships to Venezuela

 

RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik

A Russian Navy squadron set off for Venezuela Monday in a deployment of Russian military power to the Western Hemisphere unprecedented since the Cold War.

During the Cold War, Latin America became an ideological battleground between the Soviet Union and the United States.

The Kremlin has recently moved to intensify contacts with Venezuela, Cuba and other Latin American nations amid strained relations with Washington after last month’s conflict between Russia and Georgia.

The squadron comprising the Russian Northern Fleet’s Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) battle cruiser and the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship Admiral Chabanenko will participate in exercises off the Venezuelan coast.

In the past, the world’s major powers would demonstrate their naval capabilities in various regions, hinting ominously that they could disrupt enemy lines of communication in case of conflict.

Russian strategic bombers in Venezuela for ‘training’

Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers were in Venezuela on Wednesday for “training flights,” Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said, adding he would be piloting one of the aircraft.

“I hope that stings, ‘pitiyanquis’,” he said, using a derogatory term for Venezuelan opponents who have perceived US sympathies.

“What’s more, I’m going to take the controls of one of these monsters,” boasted the president, a former paratrooper and left-wing politician who has avowed antagonism towards the United States.

“It’s been a while since these planes have been around these parts, and Russia decided a couple of years ago to revive its strategic aviation program,” Chavez said during the inauguration of a medical center.

Russian planes in Venezuela a warning to US: Chavez

The presence of two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers in Venezuela is a “warning” to the US “empire,” President Hugo Chavez said Thursday, as Washington said it was monitoring the deployment.

“It’s a warning. Russia is with us … we are strategic allies. It is a message to the empire. Venezuela is no longer poor and alone,” Chavez said during a public event Thursday.

The Venezuelan president had announced Wednesday that two Russian bombers were in Venezuela for “training flights” and that he would be piloting one of the aircraft himself.

“I hope that stings, ‘pitiyanquis’,” he said, using a derogatory term for Venezuelan opponents who have perceived US sympathies.

“What’s more, I’m going to take the controls of one of these monsters,” boasted the president, a former paratrooper and left-wing politician who has avowed antagonism towards the United States.

The United States said it would monitor the deployment of the two Russian bombers, which it described as “Cold War era assets,” to Venezuela.

Chavez declares U.S. ambassador persona non grata in Venezuela

 

Venezuela’s president has demanded the U.S. ambassador leave his country within 72 hours, escalating a diplomatic dispute between the United States and Bolivia.

Russian strategic bombers land in Venezuela

 

Two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers have landed at a military airfield in Venezuela, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Tu-160 Blackjack is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber, designed to strike strategic targets with nuclear and conventional weapons deep in continental theatres of operation.

Venezuela Buying SU-30s, Helicopters, et. al. From Russia

There have been a series of reports from a number of sources that Venezuela has finalized a deal with Russian arms manufacturers. Those reports have now shifted the total from $1 billion to around $3 billion, and expand its focus beyond SU-30MK2 (Mnogofunktzionniy Komercheskiy 2-seat) long-range multi-role fighters and various Russian helicopters to include other equipment as well. The final deal is reportedly still being negotiated.

Russian deals are extremely non-transparent, and often there are conflicting reports with no official confirmation of announced reports or additional details released. Based on news reports from various sources, however, here’s what DID can tell you about the likely shape of the deal and the nature of the equipment in question, aside from the USA’s predictably futile requests that Russia not go through with the sale.

DID’s coverage today includes updated information regarding the deal, and adds sources like Kommersant that have emerged simce this article was first published on July 24, 2006.