₦airaland Forum

ValerianSteel:
Russia's presence in Syria has always been a militarized one.Syria gave Russia access to it's territory allowing it have a naval base,in return Russia equips Syria with meagre weapons that has not succeeded in keeping Syrian airspace safe.Israel carried out Operation Orchard and Moscow's weapon and manpower could not do sh*t to Israeli fighters.

Russia's permanent strategic interest in Syria has only been to protect it's military aggression against the West.If Russia were Syria's big brother I don't think today,Syria would instead call on Russia to help fight her battles,rather we'd see a Syria equipped with weapons supplied by Russia to take out it's enemies.

SIPRI states that Russia's military exports to Syria is about $465million while Moscow Times claim its $4billion-a freaking lie that is so glaring.If Syria did purchase weapons worth $4billion from Russia why then did the Assad regime fail woefully to defend itself.Russia's relationship with Syria after the Soviet era is loopsided,at least in the Soviet era,Russia was gracious cancelling billions of Syrian debt.Post Soviet era not much as a loan or economic aid package to Syria,not a single donation of military equipment to the Syrian Armed Forces.If Russia has always been there to defend Syria,Syria would never had fallen to ISIS or moderate rebels and opposition forces in the first place.

Face it,Russia's interest in Syria has never been in the protection of Syria but a facade to keep her presence.

It's an insult to compare Israeli-American co-operation with Russia and Syria,a big insult.

The US sees Israel as a strategic ally whose territorial defense comes first under their relationship.Israel receives yearly military aid package from the US,Obama has revealed the US would be increasing the amount from $3billion to $40billion between now and 2018 in response to Iran's access to money following the lifting of sanctions.

A very formidable unchallenged Israeli Defense Force would grow to become stronger than all other Middle-East countries and will be readily equipped to counter new threats from Iran and elsewhere.

US relationship with Israel sees to it that Israel remains a self-sufficient nation that can defend itself against threats.US has a joint military partnership with Israel covering development of several programmes from missile technology to drone technology,avionics and sub systems and software,something Russia has never had with Syria.With America's support for Israel and Israel's skillfulness,Israel has become a force to be reckoned with in the Middle-East and it would take nukes to bring Tel-Aviv down before it bows to terrorists as compared to Syria.

in summary,SYRIA IS TO RUSSIA,just as ISREAL IS TO AMERICA..US relationship/alliance should never be used as a "YARDSTICK"to measure other alliances,coz both the US and RUSSIA have different global objectives and goals...in International politics;WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE MAY NOT NECCESSARYLY BE GOOD FOR THE GANDER!

OLAADEGBU:
If I were you I would have read the contents of the OP before commenting.

oh i read the contents,and i have my reason for saying the syrian army were never targeted..

ValerianSteel:
This is no basis of comparison to american relationship with Israel.The US and Israel have an alliance second to no other in the world today,anyone with real knowledge of Israel will not even consider such notion as to comparing it with Syria and Russia.That's just delusionally farfetched

the russian-syrian strategic alliance is one ABOVE YOUR INTELLECTUAL COMPREHENSION so dont even try to comprehend it,u may end up altering critical component of ur IQ.John kerry even stated it in a BBC interview last year,he said the US knows that the ruskies have always had strategic permanent interest in syria unlike they the US.and America's involvement in syria is temporary(just to defeat isis),unlike russia that have had a military base there since the soviet era..

Bashir Al Asad:The Man with 9 lives..This is one of the few arab leaders that the word 'fear' doesnt exist in his dictionary..some other leaders wld have surrendered and seek asylum in other countries,but he chose to stay and fight till the very end..

ValerianSteel:
Uhmmm,pardon me but care to explicate on this causeHow is Syria to Russia,what Israel is to the United States?This notion appears rather far-fetched

syria is and has always been the only true russian ally in the middle east.even after the fall of the USSR,they maintained,strategic military ties..Al-asad has always served and protected russian interest in syria..most of the military pact signed between HAFIZ AL-ASSAD(bashir's father) and the soviet union are still valid even up till date....

Personally,i dont see this escalating more than it already is..this morning on BBC,the US condemned turkey's decision to shell the US ALLIED KURDISH MILITIA IN SYRIA"..,besides the reason john kerry is in another round of diplomatic shuttle with main players of the syria conflict is to avoid any escalation...i also read today that Obama discussed issues regarding syria with putin over the phone..just like the syria 'chemical weapon deal',i think something positive will come out of these current negotiations..

Good one.Tony blair gave a similar analysis here...http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/12155879/.html

Clone2020:
America chose not to participate in world War 2 because it wasn't their war. They were reluctantly invited into the war when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. They formed an Alliance with the so called "alied forces" to defeat the "Axis Powers" (ie Italy, Germany and France).

You sound silly when you say America hides behind nukes. Read about the Normandy Invasion also known as "- day." The Allied forces led by the Americans invaded France and defeated them during WW2. There's a reason the U.S.s dollar is the global currency of trade, there's a reason most countries store their money in the U.S, it has to do with stability and this is an image the US will defend by any means possible. Since gaining independence from Great Britain, America has never been attacked in any war, you can't say that about any other country including former USSR. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, America had to respond with force. When AL Qaeda agents blew up the World Trade Center in September 11 2001, America responded by taking out Sadam and years later Bin Laden. That's America for you.

Trust me, had the Nazi won the war, we will all be speaking German and Africans will be enslaved or wiped out altogether.

in ur own words(They formed an Alliance with the so called "alied forces" to defeat the "Axis Powers" (ie Italy, Germany and France)).according to u,FRANCE was an axis power in WW2,and u call me silly?i cant go into argument with a historical/political rookie like u..have a good day.

OLAADEGBU:
Turkish forces fire on Assad's Syrian Army After the latter targeted a Turkish Guard

stop misleading people...Turkey targeted their long time adversary ''the kurdish militia'',and not the syrian arab army(SAA)..turkey has been bombing the kurds in syria..they stoped flying sorties against the kurds only after russia deployed advanced ''air-defence system'' in syria..

optimusprime2:
The countries with an increasing Population rate are India, Pakistan, US, and Nigeria.
and by 2050 these countries I mentioned would be amongst the top 5, Brazil's population though large remains almost unchanged by 2050 as the projected population according to UN stats is 226 Million, which isn't surprising because of Brazils size, but it's growth is almost static.
Now my point is, if some individual has the intelligence and funding to create genetically engineered darts aimed at population control, Why Brazil?? It still doesn't make sense.

is not just an attact on population,its also an attack on religion..brazil has the highest catholic presence in the world,,and abortion is strictly prohibited there..since the emergence of this zika,the WHO has been clamoring for the govt of brazil and their religious leaders to ease restrictions on abortion to enable pregnant women the option of terminating the babies instead of having a baby with small head and brain...zika is not just attacking humans,its also attacking "CORE RELIGIOUS VALUES".

Clone2020:
Conspiracy theorists. How many famous philanthropists are Russians? Upon Russia has the 2nd highest number of billionaires in the world. Their own is to cause trouble here and there, invade countries and seize land mass with force and coercion. You hear of American billionaires giving away 99% of their entire wealth to charity or global initiatives like Bill & Melinda Gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg, T Boone Pickens, George Soros, Walton family, Michael Bloomberg Etc. You will never hear about these greedy Russians doing anything to improve the world. They are still living in the cold war Era.

If not for the fact they have nuclear weapons in their arsenal, America would've obliterated them by now. They are cowards, hiding behind nukes because they know nobody wants an outright nuclear war that would end the world as we know it. In a conventional war without nukes, Russia will be crushed.

''In a conventional war without nukes, Russia will be crushed''.......(adolf hitler-1943).someone pls remind me,what happened to the man that said this?.Russia defeated the main adversary in world war 2 without nuke,meanwhile the US had to result to nukes to emerge victorious..America has been hidding behind nukes since 1945..if not for nuke discovery,russian wld be the official language of all european capitals today..

homerac7:
You are incorrigibly stupeed.

You started with foolish claim that F22 was not a stealth aircraft, advanced to justifying your foolishness by quoting politicians on F35 as failed programme. I kept educating you and bursting your ignorance, and showed you that 6 countries have received their trainer versions (even stated this much earlier) and you return to mock me of proving to you that F35 is actually active and in full flight. Can you be more stupeed?...how did I even get entangled with a halfwit like you in technical debate?

Sorry, ...drool on.

im not into any technical debate with u..i said the F- 35 isn't yet in "SERVICE",u stated otherwise.U went ahead and posted a blog to prove your ''F-35 being in service''claims,but all the blog did was apportioned the current status of the plane as''OPERATIONAL".how can a bomber be in service when critical operational softwares are yet to be installed?..Wikipedia describes the status of the F-35 as''in testing and training use by 4 countries''....i also posted 2 articles stating clearly that the F-35 wont be able to perform one of its primary functions''firing its armament''until 2019..if u are as half as sound technically as u think u are,u ought to knw when it comes to high tech weaponry,there's a difference between being operational and in-service..the russian SU-37 is currently operation but is'nt bound to enter service..i'av made my point and im sticking to my claim that the F-35 isnt yet in serive..i care less what u think abt my claim,the worst u can do is to keep MASTUBATING about your ''oluwole technical prowess'' on a faceless forum..im done with u..

homerac7:
Your foolishness kniws no bounds. Read and get wise brother. See the link below to know that it is already in service in over 6 countries.

u're the foolish one...your article boldly stated that its still carrying out "FLIGHT TEST"...a bomber that is still yet to fire any armament..http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11319455/F-35-stealth-jet-will-not-be-able-to-fire-its-guns-until-2019.html.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3181930/Marine-Corps-claims-3-5bn-F-35B-fighter-jet-finally-ready-service-outperformed-40-year-old-F-16-lacks-software-fire-cannons.html

homerac7:
You are entitled to your opinion rightly. It doesn't make your position weaker or stronger.

I will explain your mistakes from two ways;

1. You quoted politicians ( the most unreliable breeds of human beings) on defence contracts. Can't you see the irony already?

2. If only you know even the rudiments of technology as you want to present yourself here, then you should have heard of "early mortality" in maintenance /reliability in new projects/equipment. This is a "normal" engineering phenomenon, so saying a new project has reliability issue is nothing unusual at all. For purely futuristic systems as the F35, I can tell you as a professional that it is doing well. So calm down and stop the Chicken Little syndrome.

''For purely futuristic systems as the F35, I can tell you as a professional that it is doing well''.lol.,.A system not yet in service is doing well?what a petty conclusion reached by a science ''proffessional''..

OZAOEKPE:
ONLY IN THIS NATION WE PERSECUTE HEROES






the guy below me is a ga(y)briel, he keeps stalking me?

u this benin boy must be very M.ad.who are the heroes being persecuted?is it everything u use as joke?..stupidity must be a subsidized virtue where u're from,hence ur blatant display of it.

ichuka:
Guys,here's a Statement made by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert in 2013
"stealthiness could be “overrated” in future combat aircraft—"something moves fast through the air, disrupts molecules and puts out heat—I don't care how cool the engine can be, it's going to be detectable.” Indeed, we’ve heard recently that some Indian and Russian research organizations have been devoting considerable attention to developing infrared detection systems. Couple that with future developments in lasers, and crews of the big aircraft may find no sanctuary in the high night skies"
Couple with the fact the Gravitational Waves was discovered last week.in the future I don't think flying objects would have any advantage over there foes on the ground.
So guys what's your take?
scully95,cyprus000,Missy89,vedaxcool,Tkester,fineguy11,NairaMinted,ValerianSteel.

If u'av noticed,since the inception of the f-35 jet,one wld have expected a sence of urgency or a stiff competion by US main advesary RUSSIA to build something that is@par with the f-35.,although,russia has its own stealth'bomber'programme the PAK T-50 which has suffered setbacks too in terms of development..but the "cool" with which russia greeted the F-35 programme;personally i'm begining to think the russians dont see the F-35 as a threat..STEALTH doesnt make an aircraft "INVINSIBLE",it only makes it difficult to dectect(for countries with less sophisticated radar systems).hence a senior russian military officer saying uneqivocally that when it comes to the S-400,"STEALTH DOESN'T EXIST! Some persons may regard this statement as mere propaganda but remember,when it comes to stealth technology,the russians have an edge in terms of 'stealth development' and 'stealth detection technologies'..the father of modern day stealth aircraft technology is a Russian by the name of ''PETR UFIMTSEV''..all stealth aircraft that has been built or is being built today,is based on the mathematical formula espoused by a russian scientist..also, a russian defense system has detected,and shot down a US ''stealth bomber''before..there's also a possibility that the remains of the downed''stealth aircraft''may have gotten to russia,for analysis,considering the fact that the plane was downed in a russian allied state..

Missy89:
Your rubbish logic is not a valid argument. Stop trying already.

my argument is n't logic ,its common sence which has become a scarce luxury to u'all american trolls on nairaland!

Missy89:
Reading few jargon online doesn't make you an expert. If China and India are buying the new SAMs, That doesn't mean you can start comparing it with the f35 or f22. Or can you tell me where these SAMs have been used before in the history of warfare and how many of these planes have been brought down? or how many combat missions have the f35 been involved in? so hat is the point of the comparison?

Or will you love to tell us When any version of SAM in history have prevented an air-force from conducting a SEAD mission? The USAF have been using MALDs since the gulf war. You are here hating and posting on what you have a very little knowledge on. Or do you think SEADs tactics remains the same?

I guess we should congratulate Russia on their "s-1 million satellite shooting system" (whatever that is) Oh wait a min, The US navy used the same weapon way back 2008 .Oops! Besides, USAF fighter jets have been destroying satellites since 1985.

Arent you the same guy who said no nuclear power has been involved in a conflict before?

your lots are pathetic bunch.i dont have to see the russian S-400 shoot a fly to believe its a potent weapon u know why?because the whole world saw the alledge american invinsible stealth fighter shot by a 1961 made russian defence system in YUGOSLAVIA! is it not embarrassing that some of NATO allies were at a point in time lobbying their perceived enemy russia to sell the S-300 defence system to them?TURKEY QND SAUDI ARABIA COMES TO MIND!

homerac7:
Oga, what exactly is your dispute? Are you disputing F35 as a stealth aircraft? If that's what you are claiming, then you have no business discussing military aircraft's because you know next to nothing about the issue.

By the way, any half wit can write an article and put it up on the internet , including those with peculiar biases. I have read tons of opinions on the aircraft, and based on my professional opinion, it is going to be the aircraft to beat in another 5-8 years. Now I hope I can also write an article to that effect, put it up online and refer you to it.

Next time you are gonna consider prejudiced opinions, learn to interpret available hard facts first.

Your post also shows that you have poor understanding of strategic roles of F22 and F35. I'm sure you also think Su 24, 25, 30 and 35 are to be rated on same pedestal.

Bro, go find out their individual strategic roles and return to correct your confused post.

ADD: what hard facts don't exist? You show so much ignorance in your post. Trained eyes will identify stealth design of F35 simply by its physical features which include its Delta wings, obtuse angles around its fuselage, hidden weapon bay, amidst other easy to identify features without having to check other unobvious parameters. Your ignorance is further displayed by not even recognising that an aircraft designated as Joint Strike Fighter with peculiar capabilities in ground attack and air defence breaches will have stealth capabilities. You don't even need to see the picture to figure that out. I hope I have schooled you enough on F35 Thunder, so learn to sift facts from nonsense when reading online.

On F22 Raptor, you claim it's stealth capabilities is "alleged" ? Now I don't know how to cure ya ignorance on that.

so according go u homerac7 a.k.a.(Einstein)..''any half wit can write anything on the internet''.in other words,the aviation experts who have written articles criticizing the F-35 for being an ''overly hyped''bomber having one deficiency or the other are all "HALF WIT" and also,Democratic California Rep. Jackie Speier who said that the F-35's logistics system is 80% unreliable, its engine stability is "extremely poor" and electronics in the individually sculpted $400,000 pilot's helmet is currently unable to distinguish friend from foe,is an "HALF WIT".in her own words she said,
"At best, when the services declare 'initial operating capability' , we will be launching an 'unstable' plane that cannot perform many of its core missions for years," Speier said. "At worst, it'll hurt people or we'll ground it in the hangar and spend billions on a retrofit.".John mc cain is another "HALF WIT" who stated@a senate arm service commitee meeting in 2013 stated that the F-35 programme was one of america's greatest ''National Scandal''..
Just spare yourself of typing all this non-existent capabilities of the F-35 (alledged stealth bomber).i'm sure the various PR firms of LOCKHEED MARTIN sent a more detailed and comprehensive positives of the F-35 to JOHN MC CAIN, and yet he called it ''ONE OF AMERICA"S GREATEST NATIONAL SCANDAL"...this is not the first time LOCK HEED MARTIN will be using propaganda mixed with heavy lobbying to sell a bomber with capabilities only applicable in video games!in 1983,they told the world that have produced a STEALTH BOMBER(F-117).the F-117 flew missions in iraq in 1991 avoiding areas where saddam's soviet air-defences were not present..they managed to keep up the propaganda about the ''alledged'' f-117 stealth'' NIGHTHAWK bomber for years. they themselves began to believe the lie they created until the US flew the f-117 stealth bomber in 'yugoslavia' 1999,only for it to be shot down by a russian made defence system produced in 1961(S-125 neva/pechora)....so forgive me if i refuse to be a troll and refusing to believe the F-22 is a stealth bomber or even the F-35 that has been criticized by aviation experts..

homerac7:
True.

Russia has got some awesome ADS in S-X00, Pantsir and BUK, no doubt. But it will be ignoble to neglect the stealth and advanced electronics suite of F22 and F35. In fact, F35 can conveniently beat any ADS in operation currently. It is no advanced 5th gen fighter for nothing sake. Forget Raptor, the undoing of any ADS is to "see" it, that very "seeing" is what the F22 is designed to look out for and neutralize.

The strategic plan is to have F22 and F35 fly in tandem into hot zones. F22 probes your defence, and the moment they light up like Xmas trees, the F35 knocks a hole through them.

Bro, Russia and China are doing great, but many people ignore the fact that US is currently upgrading her capabilities to beat those threats.

F-35 STEALTH? Are u for real?did u even read the article the op pasted?ur argument is based on facts that dont exist..i have no problem with ur F-22 analysis except,the F-22 IS an''alledged'' STEALTH CRAFT,hence the US military craving for a more superior bird in terms of STEALTH CAPABILITIES.pundits have questioned the stealth capability of the F-35,...http://www.ibtimes.com/f-35-stealth-jet-production-under-review-amid-questionable-performance-changing-2003100

Even the almighty ''TURKEY'' with their F-16's didnt wait to see how the S-400 works...remember,this is a system that can engage 4 targets simultaneously at a distance of over 400km!

Going by missy89(POV)india and china has invested over 12billion dollars between them for a "SPECULATIVE DEFENCE SYSTEM"...the F-35 is a load of crap and the F-22 is a non stealth aircraft,so OP,i think its unfair to compare the S-400 cabability against the F-22...
U can compare the F-22 with PANTSIR S1 or the more lethal "BUK MISSILE DEFENCE"...the S-400 is a nightmare for any aircraft in the world,just when u think the monster of all SURFACE TO AIR DEFENCE has been produced,only to read that the ''S-1000''(satelite/orbit shooting system) specs has been completed and about to enter production phase!

I think suits comming to an end,if harvey eventually gets out of this jam,(which he will),the series wld have ran its full course!come to think of it,anything beyond harvey and mike escaping jail term wld be BORING!Season 6 could just be the FINALE.

Viewed from the West, Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, is in the diplomatic dog-house.

His annexation of Crimea and military involvement in eastern Ukraine broke the settled pattern of post-Cold War relations in Europe.

The Russian military's increasingly aggressive patrolling and exercises on the margins of Natohave raised genuine concerns - even in a country such as Sweden- that a conflict with Russia can no longer be regarded as impossible.

Reluctant Nato governments are slowly increasing defence spending, and the US is taking steps to reinforce its forward presence in Europe.

Russia, of course, puts the boot on the other foot and blames Nato's expansion for its increased military readiness.

But this is a government widely believed to have sent its agents to poison an opponent in London, leaving a radioactive trail across the city.

Curiously then, the prevailing Western response to Russia's engagement alongside President Bashar al-Assad's government in Syriahas been to argue Russia and the West potentially share some common ground.

Russia - at least up to a week or so ago - was seen as a co-sponsor of the diplomatic effort to bring peace to Syria and a vital element in any solution.

Whether this view - in hindsight largely wishful thinking - will survive the onslaught by the Syrian Army and its allies on Alepporemains to be seen.

It is Russian air power more than anything that has changed the fortunes of the Syrian government.

And this offensive - coming just as a new round of talks was getting under way - effectively poisoned the discussions before they really began.

Russia's Syrian build-up looks long term

Where key countries stand on Syria

Realpolitik object lesson

So might this be a moment when the scales will fall from Western eyes and Russia's true intentions become clear?

We are not talking here about morality or what is right - there is precious little of that to go round on any side.

Syria is an appallingly complex problem, and no single party can be blamed for the continuation of the war.

What we are talking about is Realpolitik. And here, Moscow has given Western capitals an object lesson in what can be achieved.

To the Western view there is no military solution in Syria, Moscow has effectively begged to differ.

It chose a side - a side credible militarily in the sense it had too much to lose if defeated.

That side had reasonably effective allies such as the Hezbollahfighters and various militias recruited by Iran and guided by Iranian commanders.

And Russia itself deployed sufficient resources to make a difference.

It took a little time, but the results on the ground are now clear.

Russia set for itself an achievable goal - to bolster the Syrian government and ensure it retained control over a significant part of the country.

In so doing, it has unleashed its air force largely against militia fighters backed by Turkey, the Gulf Arabs and the West, and it is winning.

Contrast the Western approach, beset by problems and contradictions at every turn.

The West backs so-called moderate militias - but who exactly are these moderates?

Many are being forced into alliances with groups close to al-Qaeda.

Yes, Washington and al-Qaeda are objectively on the same side - contradiction number one.

Of course, the West is largely in it to defeat so-called Islamic State (IS).

But is this the primary goal of its regional allies such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey?

No, their chief goal is to secure their strategic stakes in Syria - ideally by destroying President Assad.

IS is their enemy, but in many ways a secondary one - contradiction number two.

Two enclaves

Then, of course, there is the Kurdish question.

The West's most effective allies on the ground are Kurdish fighters.

But the Turks see them as a threat and any nascent Kurdish entity as a nightmare to be avoided at all costs - contradiction number three.

By contrast Mr Putin's life is simpler.

It is often said he has the advantage over his Western peers of not having to worry about public opinion.

Thus, the downing of a Russian airlinercreated little of the waves of protest at government policy that might have happened if a Western plane had been destroyed.

But think this through logically.

Is anything about Western policy a reflection of public opinion?

The publics are as confused as their political masters.

How do you react to drowning refugees, terrible suffering, and apparently intractable conflicts in places at one and the same time far away but also so terribly close?

Mr Putin is not just achieving his military goals in Syria.

His success threatens to reduce the country to two enclaves- a coastal rump dominated by the Syrian government and the rest broadly in the hands of IS.

What will the West's choices be then?

Mr Putin has shown Russia remains a force to be reckoned with in the Middle East, just at a time when the Americans seem best characterised by vacillation.

He has shown Russia has a limited but nonetheless impressive expeditionary military capability, and he has given a runout to much of Russia's latest hardware.

So, for now, Mr Putin has a victory of sorts.

I suppose the question is how long will it last?

Russia's own underpinnings are shaky. And with low oil prices set to persist, can the president really afford to behave like a kind of throwback to the Soviet era?

But, make no mistake, the Syrian peace process is stillborn.

The fighting will continue, with so-called moderate forces squeezed between government forces and IS.

The Kurdish question will continue to rear its head.

And the refugee flow towards western Europe will continue unabated.

In unifying ends and means, Mr Putin knows what he wants. And, for now, he seems to be getting it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35539897

Ramzan Kadyrov, hardline leader of Russia's Chechen region and close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said Chechen spies loyal to Moscow had infiltrated Islamic State in Syria and were gathering intelligence for Russian air force bombing strikes.

The assertion, by Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, is impossible immediately to verify. But true or not, it could have the effect of stirring distrust in jihadi ranks towards Chechens and other militants from Russia and the former USSR who have joined Islamic State.

Kadyrov, who keeps tight control of Chechnya, a mostly Muslim region with a history of rebellion against Moscow, said Chechen spies had trained alongside Islamic State fighters from the start of the Syrian war.

"An extensive spy network has been set up inside Islamic State," Kadyrov's office quoted him on Monday as telling Russia's state-controlled Russia 1 channel.

He said Chechnya's "best fighters" had been sent to Syria to gather information about militants' structure and numbers.


"Thanks to their work as agents, the Russian air force is successfully destroying terrorist bases in Syria."

When asked about the comments, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Putin, declined to confirm the presence of Chechen forces in Syria. Kadyrov's full interview on the subject is due to be broadcast on state TV on Wednesday.

Matvey Ganopolsky, a commentator for the Ekho Moskva radio station, said Kadyrov's words were impossible to check and looked to be part of a pattern of "lies and misinformation".

Islamic State in Syria posted footage in December of the murder of a man it identified as a Chechen who had been spying on them for Russian intelligence. Kadyrov, himself accused by campaign groups of human rights abuses, denied he was a spy.

Some Chechens are known to be fighting as committed jihadis on the side of Islamic State in Syria and Moscow fears they may return to attack Russia, something they have threatened to do.

CHECHEN TRAINING CAMP.

Russia launched air strikes in Syria on Sept. 30 and has set up an air base to complement an existing naval facility. It has infantry and armour there to protect its assets and has military trainers and advisers working with the Syrian army.

Western diplomats have said Russian special forces are also active in Syria; Russian authorities have been coy on that.

But state TV, in a teaser broadcast on Sunday evening ahead of the full programme later this week, said the time had now come to talk about the forces who were helping coordinate Russian air strikes in Syria "at the cost of their own lives".

It showed a training camp in Chechnya, which it said was where soldiers now active in Syria had honed their skills. The footage suggested Chechen special forces might also be involved in Syria as well as the spies of whom Kadyrov had boasted.

Hundreds of heavily armed men with four-wheel drive vehicles were shown lined up, with one man shown repeatedly firing a pistol as he navigated what looked like a special urban warfare training course.

Kadyrov, a former Chechen rebel turned Kremlin loyalist, was also shown firing a high-powered weapon at a target himself. He said his men in Syria had suffered losses.

Kadyrov said in October he wanted to send Chechen servicemen to Syria to take part in "special operations" but would only do so if Putin authorised such a deployment.

Russian forces fought two brutal wars against Chechen insurgents; but the region, though it still faces a limited low-level Islamist insurgency, has now been given a large measure of autonomy within Russia and been rebuilt. Kadyrov says he is one of Putin's staunchest supporters.http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL8N15N246?irpc=401

SAUDI SEND TROOPS TO SYRIAis this a joke?..lol...and by troops they mean the machete weilding, wahabbi salafist, takbir shouting,head decapitating terrorists in military fatigues?they will be given a rousing welcome by HEZBOLLAH,and the various shia militias from iraq,iran,lebanon all the way to afganistan!the army who is yet to defeat the HOUTHIS in yemen despite the huge investment in dat war...the saudis cant dare enter syria alone without assist from US and the west...least i forget,,THE MAJOR REASON THE SSA(SYRIAN ARAB ARMY) and hezbollah are advancing in all fronts in the syrian battle is coz almost all ADVANCING INFANTRIES ARE HEADED BY A RUSSIAN COMMANDERS and heavy russian artilaries...there're two tinz that can happen now,either SAUDI AND HER GULF ALLIES WITH TURKEY SURRENDERS AND ADMIT DEFEAT,or they send their various troops into syria,thereby violating international law and starting WORLD WAR 3!!intresting times ahead!!.

POPULATION CONTROL 101.anyone who disagrees this zika virus is population control mechanism is dead but living.(living dead)aka zombie!

Adminisher:
How can you say the F35 is propaganda?. An aircraft that is flying is propaganda? There are twenty countries that are going to use this aircraft for the next twenty years.. What a choice of words? , PROPAGANDA. Dof you know what the word means?
The plane is simply a scaled down and modified F22. F22 is flying happily "stealthily' as we speak. Scaling the F22 down and trying to make it inyo 'an everything combat jet' has raised a few issues. Software issues are surmount able, cockpits can be redesigned and engine mountings can also be redesigned. The only negative it is that it is costing more than anticipated but there is no program in the US that has not costed more than anticipated. The highly successful F16 and highly rated F15 have had hundreds of modifications and mid life upgrades.

aircraft that is flying where?where in world has it been flown?show me a link where the plane has been exported!F-35 is either a work in progress or US super weapon propaganda!..i'av been reading abt F-35 stealth cababilities over 6/7 yrs ago yet,its yet to launched.....even top areo space pundits mere looking at the outer features descriped the F-35 as a flying coffin,in-capable of defending itself,and the stealth capability is a super myth...http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/feature/5/135080/f_35-reality-check-10-years-on-(part-1)

Who doest knw the F-35 is mere propaganda!america is yet to produce a STEALTH CRAFT.#fact.even russia too is having problem developing its own 5th generation stealth fighter i.e PAK T-50.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has serious grounds to suspect Turkey of preparing for a military incursion in Syria, where Russian jets are bombing rebel and jihadi fighters, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday.

"The Russian Defence Ministry registers a growing number of signs of hidden preparation of the Turkish armed forces for active actions on the territory of Syria," he said in a statement.

The ministry also hit out at Turkey's refusal to allow Russia to make an observation in early February over Turkish areas adjacent to Syria, saying "no specific explanation" was given by Ankara.

"The Russian Defence Ministry regards these actions of the Turkish party as a dangerous precedent and an attempt to hide the illegal military activity near the Syrian border," it said.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that agreement on the observation flight over Turkey requested by Russia under the Treaty on Open Skies could not be reached on the mission plan, so it did not occur.

In November Turkish jets shot down a Russian plane flying in Syria, a move described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "dastardly stab in the back".

Russian jets have been striking rebel and jihadi fighters for four months in Syria, including Islamic State militants as well as fighters backed by Turkey and Gulf Arab states, angering the Turkish government.

Konashenkov said Russian aircraft had carried out 237 sorties in Syria over the past three days, hitting 875 "terrorist" targets in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Homs, Hama and Deir al-Zor, Konashenkov said.

http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUKKCN0VD1VM?irpc=401
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/492505/Russia-claims-Turkey-is-about-to-invade-Syria-which-could-trigger-World-War-3.

snailspeed:
What crap are you spewing? Didn't you read America wants to send us some used hardware too? Did Buhari reject them? You said they didn't buy weapons now you have changed to it being used hardware. Why can't you be consistent? Obviously, it is very hard to sustain lies, isn't it?

did PMB PAY FOR THE USED WEAPONS?mediocrity must be a virture where u're from,hence ur reason for defending a past govt whose defence budget despite being one of the highest in africa,yet SHOPS for de-commissioned military hardware frm countries and black market arms dealers.

I vowed never to insult anybody on nairaland again but this OP is tempting me...those weapons the UKRAINIANS sold to us have been de-commissioned by the UAF!as@2014 Ukraine was begging for arms from NATO to fight pro russian-separatist in DONETSK&LUHANSK(eastern ukraine)..The nigerian army went on scavenger hunt of 2nd hand military hardware out of desperation!
https://beegeagle./2015/01/28/nigeria-also-acquiring-pre-owned-t72-battle-tanks-from-hungary-initial-consignment-airfreighted-january-26th-2015/

we bought weapons from arms dealers,who bought this weapons from Armies who had de-commissioned them for their being obsolete!