On Saturday 21st November 2015, the Russian army began a three-day military « exercise »off the coast of Syria.

The Russian military staff asked the Lebanese and Cypriot governments to detour civil and military flights from their Mediterranean air space, including from the British bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus.

Several airline companies have decided to suspend their flights in the region for the duration of the « exercise ».

Since the beginning of the Russian military intervention in Syria, the Russian army has deployed a new weapon which interrupts NATO communications and commands, as well as those of the jihadists, within a perimeter of 300 kilometres around Latakia, including the NATO base of Incirlik (Turkey). All civil flights which were routed along the Syrian coast have been detoured, and now fly further out in the Mediterranean.

We do not know whether the Russian army is extending its system for the interruption of enemy communications and commands, or whether it will proceed with coordinated fire with the Syrian navy.

During this « exercise », the three military bases used by NATO to survey the situation in Syria will therefore be neutralised. The Alliance will thus know nothing about what is happening on the ground.

For more on this new Russsian weapon :
– “What frightened the USS Donald Cook so much in the Black Sea?”, Voltaire Network, 14th September 2014.
– “The Russian army asserts its superiority in conventional warfare”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Pete Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 19 October 2015.
– “Russia scrambles the controls of the aircraft carrier ’Ronald Reagan’ and the 7th fleet”, Translation Pete Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 11 November 2015.

Translation
Pete Kimberley