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Russia offers help to remove Syrian Chemical Arms

September 25, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Russia can send its military personnel to help in the proposed operation to eliminate Syria’s chemical arms, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says.

Mr Lavrov told Russian TV that military observers could help Syria destroy its stockpiles under a US-Russian deal.

He also accused the US of using “blackmail” over a UN resolution.

The international chemical weapons watchdog, the OPCW, says Syria has met the deadline to submit details of its estimated 1,000-tonne chemical arsenal.

This was the first step in a deal, brokered by Russia and the United States, to eliminate the weapons by the middle of next year.

Putin’s ally Sergei Sobyanin wins Moscow mayor election

September 9, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Kremlin-backed candidate Sergei Sobyanin has won the election for mayor of Moscow, Russian election officials have announced.

Mr Sobyanin secured 51.3% – just above the 50% threshold needed to avoid a second-round ballot.

His main rival, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, polled 27.2%.

Mr Navalny called for a run-off and refused to recognise the results, saying they had been “deliberately falsified”.

Mr Navalny said he had won enough votes to force a second round and that the count had been marred by “many serious violations”.

But Moscow’s electoral commission said there had been no serious violations and a run-off would not take place.

Gauging Russia’s reactions to Syrian strike scenario

September 2, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

There are two subjects Russians talk about a lot: history and geography. In recent days, there’s been much public discussion of both.

Russian officials and the media have been constantly recalling “Yugoslavia – 1999”, “Iraq – 2003” and “Libya – 2011” as examples of Western military intervention which resulted in regime change.

The suspicion in Moscow is that the West is plotting to add “Syria – 2013” to the list.

One of the headlines this week in the Russian government daily Rossiskaya Gazeta was: “Will Obama risk repeating the Libyan-Iraqi scenario in Syria?”

Moscow appears now to be expecting a US strike on Syria. According to the head of the foreign affairs committee of the Russian Parliament, Alexei Pushkov: “It’s only a question of time.”

But the Russians have not stopped arguing their case that military intervention would be wrong.

Obama And Putin Meeting Cancelled Over Snowden’s Asylum

August 8, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

US President Barack Obama has cancelled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia’s decision to grant asylum to intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, the White House said.

But Mr Obama will still attend the G20 economic talks in St Petersburg.

A White House aide said Mr Snowden’s asylum had deepened the pre-existing tension between the two countries.

The Kremlin said it was disappointed by the move and that the invitation to bilateral talks remained in force.

Mr Snowden, a former intelligence contractor, has admitted leaking information about US surveillance programmes to the media.

Powerful Russian mayor of Dagestan charged over murder

June 11, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Prosecutors in Moscow have charged a powerful local politician from the restive North Caucasus region over the murder of an investigator.

Said Amirov, mayor of the city of Makhachkala in Dagestan, was arrested in a dramatic operation involving a helicopter and armoured vehicles.

He was flown to Moscow and charged along with two other men over the murder of an investigator in 2011.

He insisted he was innocent and said the case was politically motivated.

Mr Amirov and the two other suspects were formally charged with “encroachment on the life” of a law enforcement official, a crime for which they could be jailed for life.