MOSCOW. March 1 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia currently does not have the capabilities to create a permanent operating base in the Mediterranean, and the Russian Navy does not have enough capable ships and a reliable logistics point for that, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former head of the Navy General Staff, told Interfax-AVN.
"I don't know why some people are talking about the re-creation of the Mediterranean squadron. Such statements are just big words and wishes, which are not supported by real resources. If such a group is made of the remainder of the fleet, the ships will use their entire motor resource within a year and will have to undergo maintenance," Kravchenko said.
"What will be left for military action?" he said.
According to Kravchenko's estimation, "the Northern, Baltic and Black Sea Fleets are now capable of providing one or two capable ships for permanent presence in the Mediterranean at most. We don't have many [ships] left in the former two fleets, and, as we know, all ships in the Black Sea Fleet have reached their age limit. There is also a need for supply ships, and the situation with them is no better," he said.
Kravchenko, who was once commander of the Black Sea Fleet, recalled that the ships of the fifth operating squadron of the Soviet Navy were permanently at sea and were rotated regularly using Black Sea ships. The headquarters was located at a submarine base and the resources were replenished from a logistics station located in Tartus, Syria.
"Now it's a small station with just one working moor. As we know, the situation in Syria is far from being stable, and therefore the prospects of the use of this logistics station are uncertain. Our ships should be able to go into logistics stations to replenish their resources and undergo maintenance during their lengthy sea voyages," Kravchenko said.
Kravchenko said he believes that in order to form a permanent group in the Mediterranean it is necessary to first build the Black Sea fleet, and there is still no agreement on the replacement of ships and weapons with Ukraine. Only a sufficient number of ships will help keep the function capable, the admiral said.
A General Staff official earlier told Interfax-AVN Russian naval ships will become part of the permanent operating base in the Mediterranean beginning in 2015.