RIA: Russian military says troops not on high alert in response to Korean crisis

RIA: Russian military says troops not on high alert in response to Korean crisis

VLADIVOSTOK, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - Troops in the Russian Far East have not been put on high alert following the brewing crisis between North and South Korea, several military officials said on Wednesday.

"We have not received any orders from Moscow to put the Pacific Fleet on high alert due to the conflict between the two Koreas. The fleet is currently carrying out scheduled exercises at sea and on land," a Pacific Fleet spokesman said on Wednesday.

The official said the arrival of Russia's most powerful warships in the Pacific had been planned long ago as part of the biennial Vostok strategic exercises and was not related to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

His statement was backed up by officials representing ground forces and air defenses in Russia's Far East.

"The troops are involved in regular summer training. The units of the Far Eastern military district have not received any high alert orders," a spokesman for the military district said.

Relations between the two Koreas soured after Seoul accused North Korea of firing a torpedo from a submarine at the 1,200-ton South Korean Cheonan corvette. The vessel sank near the disputed Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea on March 26 causing the loss of 46 lives.

North Korea declared on Tuesday it was cutting all ties with Seoul and allegedly ordered its 1.2- million armed forces to get ready for combat.

Russia has called for North and South Korea to exercise restraint and not allow the situation on the Korean peninsula to escalate.

RIA: UPDATE: Russia sends its mightiest warships for drills in Far East

VLADIVISTOK, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - Flagships of three Russian fleets have united in Russia's Far East for the upcoming large-scale naval exercises, a Pacific Fleet spokesman said on Wednesday.

Òhe flagship of the Black Sea fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser, arrived at a naval base near Vladivostok on Wednesday and teamed up with the flagship of the Northern Fleet, the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser, and the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the Varyag guided-missile cruiser.

"After the Moskva crew has had a short rest, warships of three Russian fleets will sail to the Sea of Japan to complete combat training tasks and hold naval drills," the official said, adding that the exact date of the drills is yet to be specified.

During the exercises, warships of the three Russian fleets will conduct live firing at naval and aerial drones and practice combat interoperability and repelling simulated attacks by hostile submarines and aircraft.

Earlier reports indicated that the naval drills would be part of the Vostok-2010 strategic exercises in Siberia and the Russian Far East in June-July.

The land drills will involve units from the Far Eastern, Siberian and Volga-Urals military districts.

The units will practice the deployment of additional troops to strengthen the existing military contingent in the region in case of a potential military conflict.

Russia holds Vostok strategic exercises every two years. More than 8,000 troops took part in Vostok-2008.

RIA: Flagship of Black Sea fleet arrives in Far East for drills

Тhe flagship of the Black Sea fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser, arrived to Vladivostok on Wednesday to take part in large-scale military exercises in the Sea of Japan to involve warships of three Russian fleets.

The Moskva will join the flagships of the Northern Fleet and the Pacific Fleet, the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser and the Varyag guided-missile cruiser, to take part in the Vostok-2010 large-scale strategic exercise. The exact date of the drills is yet to be announced.

"After a short rest of the crew, warships of three Russian fleets will go to the Sea of Japan to fulfill combat training tasks and hold military drills," a spokesman for the Pacific Fleet's press service said.

The Pyotr Veliky arrived in Vladivostok on May 20, after completed joint exercises in the South China Sea with the Moskva.

A week ago the Northern Fleet's cruiser had taken part in combined-arms maneuvers with a naval group from Russia's Pacific Fleet, including the Varyag, the Admiral Panteleyev destroyer, the Bystry destroyer.

VLADIVOSTOK, May 26 (RIA Novosti)

Ynet: Iran: Russian support for sanctions 'not acceptable'

"We shouldn't see, at sensitive times, our neighbor (Russia) supporting those who have been against us, have shown animosity to us for 30 years. This is not acceptable for the Iranian nation. I hope they will pay attention and take corrective action," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech in the south-eastern city of Kerman. (Reuters)

 

AFP: Iran urges US, Russia to back nuclear fuel deal

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1059108/1/.html

Posted: 26 May 2010 1624 hrs

TEHRAN: Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged the United States and Russia on Wednesday to back a nuclear fuel deal, warning it would be the last "opportunity" to resolve the atomic standoff.

"The Tehran declaration (on a fuel swap) is the best opportunity. We took an important step and said something very important. There are no excuses left," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech, addressing US and Russian leaders.

US President Barack Obama "should bear in mind that if he does not use this opportunity, Iranians are unlikely to give him a new chance," he said, as world powers mulled new sanctions against Iran over the fuel deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey earlier this month.

Western governments have been dismissive of the agreement, arguing that the international community needs to keep up the pressure on Tehran to heed UN Security Council demands over its nuclear programme. - AFP/fa

Service: Nuclear Energy

TEHRAN (ISNA)-Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Spokesman Ali Shirzadian said a Russian team of technical experts visited Tehran's research reactor.

"A delegation from Russian technical experts arrived in Tehran to visit Tehran's research reactor and hold talks on medical and industrial radioisotopes," he said.

"The delegation Chief was influenced by the high-quality of production-section of radioisotopes."

Iran has signed a declaration with Turkey and Brazil last week to send its Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) with the purity of 3.5 percent to Turkey and receive higher-enriched uranium of 20 percent instead, if Vienna Group (involving the US, Russia and France and the IAEA) accepts Iran's offer.

Iran wants fuel for Tehran's research reactor to help cure patients suffering cancer.

End Item

Itar-Tass: Patriot missiles deployment in Poland cannot favour security – FM

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=15163528&PageNum=0

26.05.2010, 11.16

MOSCOW, May 26 (Itar-Tass) - The deployment of American Patriot missiles in the territory of Poland does not favour the security and relations of trust, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

“Such military activity does not help to strengthen our mutual security, to develop relations of trust and predictability in this region,” the ministry said.

“We stated earlier that we cannot understand the logic and targets of the cooperation between the United States and Poland in this sphere,” the source said. “We have to state regretfully, that our questions to the Polish and American sides were left unanswered. Neither have we got a reply to our reasons to move the place of the deployment further from the Russian border.”