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Black Sea Fleet Paraded Close to Sevastopol
The 225th anniversary of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was marked all hurdles of preparatory stage notwithstanding. The event that was attended by Acting Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov began by the joint parade of Russia’s and Ukrainian vessels and ended by scuffle between Ukrainian nationalists and activists of pro-Russian associations of Crimea.
May 13 is marked as the creation day of the Black Sea Fleet. Exactly on that day, the Azov Fleet of Russia entered Crimea’s Akhti-Yar bay 225 years ago. This year’s festivities had been planned for three days – the celebration began yesterday and will end tomorrow, the arrangers hope.
But Sunday was obviously the main day of the program. Thirty warships and about ten service ships jointly paraded in the Sevastopol bay. The participation of Ukraine was symbolic, that state was represented only by Konstantin Olshansky amphibious ship and Balta demagnetization ship. The flagship of Ukrainian fleet, Hetman Sagaidachny destroyer leader was also to take part in the parade but that vessel left Sevastopol Saturday to joint the counter-terror effort of NATO in the Mediterranean Sea. Ukraine’s Acting First Defense Minister Valery Ivashchenko, Deputy Chief of General Staff Igor Knyaz and Navy Commander Igor Tenyukh saw off that ship.
The same trio saluted the joint parade yesterday together with Russia’s Acting Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky and Black Sea Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Alexander Kletskov. The Russians pretended that the absence of Ukrainian flagship and its participation in the exercise of potential enemy didn’t cloud the celebration.
Disembarkation of combat infantry vehicles had been planned as the most spectacular scene of festivities. But the arrangers had to drop that section of the program, as Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stepped in to oppose the appearance of Russia’s combat hardware in the city. In general, Russia’s diplomats had to take pains so that the Black Sea marines could show the power of Russia’s weapons to Sevastopol residents.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 12, 2008
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