© RIA Novosti/Vitaliy Ankov



In the course of the training activity, the Russian ships will practice organization of anti-submarine, anti-ship, and air defense, as well as search-and-rescue activities and rendering assistance to distressed vessels.



During the exercise, the military seamen are to perform over 40 different combat, tasks including missile and artillery firings at surface and aerial targets.

By positioning the Moskva, a cruiser armed with S300 missiles, west of Latakia, the Russians have endangered the IAF's favorite corridor of flight into Syria. The IAF has no stealth capabilities to circumvent this anti-access/area denial — A2/AD — bubble, nor any other air force in the area.



Russian President Vladimir Putin managed to do in several days what US President Barack Obama failed to do in the last three years: He's created a true no-fly zone. Putin's actions suggest, in my opinion, that he's willing to force the coalition and the Israel air force into reporting and coordinating their flights in the region — an act I'm sure no one is in favor of or willing to comply with.



The Moskva carries an estimated 64 S-300 missiles, according to foreign sources), and could intercept multiple targets up to 150 miles away, making it a serious threat in addition to other Russian assets in the region.



The presence of the Moskva essentially locks down British air assets in Cyprus, American F-16s in the southern part of Turkey, and the Israeli air force, which likes to use that particular flight corridor for penetration into Syria, or alternatively when flying over the western part of Lebanon. Any flights in or around the country will now be tricky for the IAF to accomplish.

So what happens to coalition surveillance flights? What about airdrops to parties in the region supported by the coalition? This will become another complicated situation which will require the precision of a surgeon and the creativity of artists. One thing is certain: The Kremlin's recent move is dangerous and places us all in danger. It may be time to dust off the old Cold War books.

It appears that, after a few weeks of Russian bombing in Syria, a new kind of "no-fly zone" seems to have been established.This is because of Russia's Naval presence in the port of Tartus and its new presence just off the coast of Latakia, particularly with ships like the guided missile cruiser Moscow. The ship left Crimea on September 24 and is part of what Russian media is referring to as training exercises.The Russian Ministry of Defense has stated, As pro-Israeli writer "Eli" from SOFREP wrote in an article that was reposted by Business Insider,"Eli" has made an astute observation. Unless the Israelis and NATO powers are truly willing to risk World War 3, the ability to simply fly in through and over the Mediterranean has been severely hampered by the Russian presence. NATO and Israel could indeed identify themselves and their intentions but they could be denied overflight permission to do so. They would then be forced with the choice between simply stepping back or risking a direct confrontation with Russian jets in the air.Furthermore, "Eli" concludes that danger is indeed present. He writes,Yet, while "Eli" laments the Russian presence in the Mediterranean and Syria and attempts to suggest that Russia is simply expanding its empire, his thesis is concerning for three reasons.. He implicitly argues that the Israeli Air Force, along with the U.S. Air Force, has and should continue to have the divine right to cross national borders at will, drop bombs on civilians and national governments as they choose, and be free from any and all consequences of doing so. The "exceptional" people and the "chosen" people thus make a very good team, complete with the blessings of God and the rest of the world. There is one major problem, however - the fact that Israel and the United States no longer have the blessing of the world to continue their slaughter unabated. Russia has had enough and so have many other nations."Eli's" article would not be so concerning if it were not for the fact that it represents the viewpoint of a ruling elite that is so committed to world hegemony that it very well might risk the literal destruction of the world in search of those aims. While "Eli" describes the "Kremlin's recent moves" as "dangerous" and having placed us all in danger, the Kremlin is only acting in a way that defends its own self-interests.If "Eli" is concerned with the danger that we all face, he would do well to warn the White House and the Knesset.