Russia calls on US to co-operate with its military in Syria
Kathrin Hille in Moscow, Erika Solomon in Beirut and John Reed in Jerusalem
Pro-regime demonstrators hold photos of presidents Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin in Damascus in 2012
Russia has called on the US to co-operate with its military in Syria to avert “unintended incidents” as Moscow boosts its forces in the war-torn country in what Russian foreign policy officials say is a bid to lead the battle against the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis).
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference on Friday that “we are always in favour of military people talking to each other in a professional way” because such contacts were “important for the avoidance of undesired, unintended incidents”.
John Kirby, state department spokesman, said that he did not know what Mr Lavrov was referring to when he talked about possible “unintended incidents”.
“We would welcome constructive efforts by Russia against Isis, but that cannot be a function of continued support to the Assad regime,” he said. “The most productive thing that they can do is to stop aiding the Assad regime.”
US officials say they do not know whether the Russian military build-up in Syria is designed to bolster the regime of Bashar al-Assad, to help carve out a pro-Assad enclave or to lay down a marker for a future political transition in Syria. But Russian policy advisers say it is an attempt by Vladimir Putin to carve out a central role for himself in the resolution of the Syria crisis and extricate himself from his international isolation over
Ukraine.
“We are taking the initiative in this conflict, which is no longer about who rules in Damascus but who can fight the most dangerous threat, the threat of terror,” said one foreign policy official.
The move is viewed with suspicion in Western capitals. Russian special forces and soldiers from the GRU, Russia’s sprawling military intelligence agency, have long been working in Syrian territory, say intelligence officials, but while their recently ramped up presence appears defensive, the Kremlin is clearly “giving itself options,” said one.
Syria as we know it no longer exists, and the challenge now is to minimise the danger this poses to everyone
- Russian official
Tweet this quote
Observers in Lebanon, Israel and Russia described Moscow’s moves as an upgrading of its assistance to the Syrian regime and a substantial reinforcement of Moscow’s presence along the coast. Two Hizbollah commanders told the FT that Russia was working on a project that they believed to be a base in Latakia, and said that in recent months Moscow had been sending in extra manpower and newer, more sophisticated weaponry.
A squadron of five Russian naval ships equipped with guided missiles has also set off to conduct manoeuvres in Syrian territorial waters, a source close to the Russian navy told Reuters news agency on Friday.
Moshe Ya’alon, Israel’s defence minister, confirmed the build-up when he told reporters this week that Russian military advisers and others had arrived in Syria in recent days. “As far as we understand, at this stage we are talking about a limited force that includes advisers, a security team and preparations for operating planes and combat helicopters,” Mr Ya’alon said. He called the move “significant”.
There have also been signs suggesting that Russian soldiers could begin fighting as well. Late last month, a video posted online appeared to show an armoured personnel carrier from a Russian army unit in battle, and Russian-language commands can be heard. Women identifying themselves as wives of Russian soldiers deployed in Syria have also expressed fears in social media groups that their husbands may now have been sent on combat missions.
In depth
Syria crisis
An increasingly complicated armed conflict is pitting rebel groups not only against the regime and its allies, but also against each other
Further reading
Mr Putin, while claiming that combat missions were not yet on his agenda, conceded last week that he was “looking at different options” in Syria.
“Russia now doesn’t seem willing to hide it — it’s more or less open policy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a formal announcement of Russian combat involvement in Syria over the next couple of weeks,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, chairman of the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy.
Secretary of state John Kerry called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov twice in the space of four days to complain about the increased Russian presence in the conflict.
“This could lead to greater violence and even more instability in Syria and is not helpful for that the international community should be trying to achieve inside Syria,” said Mr Kirby.
Russian officials and experts counter that their involvement could help to end the bloody civil war. They say that while Moscow’s position on supporting Mr Assad had not changed, the Kremlin had lost all hope that Syria’s territorial integrity could be salvaged.
“Syria as we know it no longer exists, and the challenge now is to minimise the danger this poses to everyone,” said one official. “Therefore it is not really against the US’ interests if we get involved there more. As for Syria’s neighbours, they might also watch our steps with hope even if they don’t state that publicly.”
The two Hizbollah commanders concurred that Syria’s break up was possible. “If it’s going to partition, they want the biggest piece,” the field commander said of the Russians. “And they want Bashar to run it — at least in the first stage.”
The commanders described a sphere of influence that Russia, Iran and Mr Assad deemed necessary to control — from the city of Aleppo near the Turkish border, along the Mediterranean coast, through the central city of Homs, down to the capital Damascus and its surrounding suburbs and into the southern border region with Israel. This comprises the populated western spine of the country, leaving out the largely desert, oil-rich eastern regions, much of which are held by Isis. Moscow is also keen to defend its Mediterranean base at Tartus and the city of Latakia, one of its biggest international listening stations.
People familiar with Kremlin strategy say that as the advance of Isis wears down the west’s resolve to bring Mr Assad down, Mr Putin also sees a chance to score an unexpected foreign policy success just as he did two years ago with the deal on chemical weapons destruction in Syria. This, in turn, could divert attention from the festering Ukraine conflict.
“He feels that Ukraine is hopeless and he can’t achieve anything there any more,” said a Russian foreign policy adviser who declined to be named. “He thinks that Syria is easier than Ukraine.”
But other officials and analysts described Russia’s deployment as a flexing of muscles in the context of superpower rivalry with the US in areas outside of the Middle East.
“They are trying to create some tension, in my opinion, to press the United States because of their arguments about the Ukraine crisis, sanctions, and other specific issues between Russia and the US right now,” said Zvi Magen, a senior research fellow with the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. “It’s not the first time they used the Middle East field for these kind of interests.”
Additional reporting by Sam Jones in London and Geoff Dyer in Washington
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/cc8ea412-587c-11e5-a28b-50226830d644.html#axzz3mU3kp3s3
So the Soviet Union collapse didn't happen?
real quick.
at russia being a super power. have crippling sanctions and be at the mercy of oil prices and still be called a super power. 
