Russia 111216 Basic Political Developments
Russian fishing ship with 32 crew in trouble near Antarctica; ice hampers rescue effort
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- Russian AIr Force gets heavy helicopters
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Russian fishing ship with 32 crew in trouble near Antarctica; ice hampers rescue efforthttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-fishing-ship-with-32-crew-is-in-trouble-near-antarctica-ice-hampering-rescue-effort/2011/12/15/gIQA8MNfwO_story.html By Associated Press, Friday, December 16, 2:11 AMWELLINGTON, New Zealand — A Russian fishing vessel with 32 crew members was taking on water near Antarctica on Friday. Heavy sea ice was hampering rescue efforts, and officials said it could be four or five days before anybody reaches the ship to try to rescue the crew. The Sparta was listing at 13 degrees next to the Antarctic ice shelf in the Ross Sea, according to Maritime New Zealand. The agency said that the crew was safe and was throwing cargo overboard to lighten the ship, and that some of the crew had boarded lifeboats as a precaution. The ship has a 1-foot (30 centimeter) hole in the hull about 5 feet (1.5 meters) below the water line, the agency said. The crew so far had managed to pump out much of the incoming water and had attached a tarpaulin over the outside of the hole to slow the water flooding in, the agency said. The crew have asked for more pumps to be sent to them and will try and make repairs to the hull, the agency said, adding it was trying to figure out a way to deliver the pumps. “It’s a very remote, unforgiving environment,” said Andrew Wright, executive secretary of the Australian-based Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which has licensed the Sparta to catch toothfish in the Southern Ocean. Wright said he didn’t know what caused the hole, although he added that an iceberg “would be a good candidate.” The Sparta, which is 157 feet (48 meters) long, sent a distress call early Friday. Maritime New Zealand said heavy ice in the Southern Ocean would make it difficult for other ships to reach the vessel. The Sparta’s sister ship Chiyo Maru No. 3 was 290 nautical miles away and heading toward the stricken vessel but had no capacity to cut through sea ice, the agency said. A New Zealand vessel, the San Aspiring, had some ice-cutting ability and was also en route, but was four or five days away. A third vessel was just 19 nautical miles away, but it was hemmed in by heavy ice and unable to move toward the Sparta. Ramon Davis, who is coordinating rescue efforts for Maritime New Zealand, said a C-130 Hercules plane that arrived from Antarctica flew over the scene to assess ice conditions in the area to speed up the rescue efforts. But Davis said the aircraft would not be able to pick up the crew. Davis said there were no helicopters in the area and that another vessel remained the most viable option for trying to rescue the crew. “It is possible the crew will have a fairly long wait for rescue,” he said. He said that if the crew manage to lighten the ship enough by getting rid of cargo and pumping out water, it’s possible the hole in the hull would rise above the water line. The crew has some emergency immersion suits that could keep them alive for a time in freezing water, Maritime New Zealand said. The weather in the area was calm, with temperatures a relatively mild 37 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius). Commission records list the captain of the Sparta, which was built in 1988, as Oleg Pavlovich Starolat, who is Russian. Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Russian AIr Force gets heavy helicoptershttp://english.ruvr.ru/2011/12/16/62322518.html Dec 16, 2011 10:42 Moscow Time Two Mil Mi-26 heavy transport helicopters have entered the Russian air fleet. The two helicopters were supplied on orders from the Eastern Military District. The Mil Mi-26 is the largest and most powerful helicopter ever to have gone into production. It can carry up to 20 tons of cargo to a range of more than 800 kilometers. The Russian Air Force has also been provided with the upgraded version of the Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter which can be used for civilian needs as well. Vesti
http://www.rttnews.com/Content/GeneralNews.aspx?Id=1782797&SM=1 12/16/2011 12:57 AM ET (RTTNews) - Worsening demographic situation and reluctance of Russian nationals to serve have apparently forced the country's armed forces to liberalize its rules on recruiting foreign citizens and to seek recruits from among the growing immigrant population, according to amendments posted on Russia's Defense Ministry website. According to the amended law, a citizen of any foreign country aged 18-30 with a good command of Russian and a clean criminal record can now sign an initial five-year contract to join the Army. As an incentive to join, recruits are offered Russian citizenship after three years of service. Experts believe that Russia is unlikely to succeed in attracting large numbers of foreign recruits given the reputation the Russian military has for harsh conditions, relatively low pay, corruption and brutality within the ranks, reports Russia's RIA Novosti news agency. As of 2009, about 350 foreign nationals were serving in the Russian armed forces, most from CIS countries whose citizens make up the bulk of Russia's immigrant population. There was also a handful from Latvia, Germany and Israel. Quoting official sources, the wire service reported that 699 foreigners applied to join the Russian military in the past year, but most were rejected because of poor knowledge of Russian, health problems, or low levels of education. In line with an ongoing military reform, the Russian armed forces will be downsized to one million personnel by 2016, with 150,000 officers and about 745,000 soldiers. by RTT Staff Writer For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com 10:40 16/12/2011ALL NEWS
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/299013.html MOSCOW, December 16 (Itar-Tass) —— The preliminary investigation was completed in the second criminal case against retired colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate Vladimir Kvachkov, who is accused of an attempt at staging an armed mutiny, a source close to the investigation told Itar-Tass on Friday. “The preliminary investigation was completed in the criminal case. Kvachkov was charged with an attempt at staging an armed mutiny and the recruitment or inciting people for terrorist activities,” the source said. Kvachkov’s lawyer Alexei Pershin confirmed to Itar-Tass that “today the lawyer was summoned at 2 p.m. Moscow time in the investigation department of the Federal Security Service, where he should report officially about the end to the preliminary investigation.” The retired colonel claimed that he was arrested on the testimony of the regional chief of the People’s Militia organization that he headed. He elaborated that the chief of the Togliatti office of the organization was arrested in the summer of 2010. After ten days of arrest he gave the confessing testimony that substantiated the charges brought against the retired colonel. “According to the available documents, a person in Togliatti dispatched two groups armed with crossbows in the forest to launch an armed mutiny,” Kvachkov said. He believes that the testimony of the detainees was distorted to find the People’s Militia and the Militia of Minin and Pozharsky as terrorist organizations. “No proved facts were found in the criminal case,” he claimed earlier. Kvachkov is the main defendant in the criminal case over the attempt on the life of the then RAO UES of Russia CEO Anatoly Chubais. However, on the jury verdict other defendants were fully acquitted in 2010.
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