Wednesday 2 December 2015

Global Firepower Index: Russia vs Turkey in 2015

Translated by Ollie Richardson for Fort Russ
2nd December, 2015




After the aggravation of relations between Russia and Turkey, caused by the incident with the Russian su-24, in various media and social media a discussion about the potential of armed conflict between the two countries is taking place. At the same time, the Russian and Turkish authorities have ruled out the possibility of direct military confrontation between the two countries. RIA Novosti invites you to compare the combat capability of Russia and Turkey using the Global index of military strength — 2015 (Global Firepower Index, GFI), updated in November of the current year.


The rating takes into account such factors as the size of the army, land systems, air force, Navy, the production and consumption of resources in the country, the country's transport infrastructure, financial resources, and geographic features.

Russia, in this rating, occupies the second position behind the USA. Turkey can be found in 10th place after China, India, Great Britain, France, South Korea, Germany and Japan (modern day Japanese armed forces are called Forces of self-defense, because their actions are not related to protecting the country's sovereignty, and are very limited — ed.).

With the total population being 142,47 million people, Russia can mobilize more than 69 million people in the event of a potential military conflict. Each year of age eligible for military service totals  1.35 million people. The recruits currently involved in military service totals more than 766 thousand people, and almost 2.5 million are in reserve.

Turkey with a population of 81.61 million people can mobilize 41.6 million people. The total number of eligible recruits equals 1.37 million people. Currently in Turkey, 410, 500 thousand people serve and the number of reserves totals 185, 630 thousand people.

In service in Russia are 15398 tanks (3 778 – Turkey), 31298 BTR (7550 – Turkey), 5972 self-propelled units (vs. 1013), 3793 reactive systems of volley fire (vs. 811).

The Prime Minister of Turkey called for the establishment of military communication channels with Russia. Russia is more than three times superior to Turkey based on the number of units of the air force – 3429 against 1020, and in the Navy – Russia presently has 352 units, and Turkey – only 115.

Russia produces daily more oil than it consumes, while Turkey has to import oil from abroad to cover their daily needs for energy.

One of the main indicators is the military budget, where Russia spends 60.4 billion dollars, while the budget of Turkey reached 18,15 billion. While foreign exchange reserves are $ 515,6 billion, Turkey – $117.6 billion.

In General, it should be kept in mind that the rating of the armed forces of the countries of the world is a complex analytical product, the preparation of which takes into account the many different factors that directly or indirectly affect the military power of the country. In addition, the rating of the GFI does not take into account the nuclear potential of the countries, as well as the political and military leadership of the States.

ISIS-Turkey blood oil map

December 2, 2015

Vzglyad

Translated by Kristina Rus


The supply chain of ISIS Syrian oil to Turkey


Turkey's purchases of smuggled ISIS oil is one of the most important sources of terrorist financing, measuring in the hundreds of millions of dollars. "Vzglyad" paper created a diagram of the production, trade and transport of the black gold to Turkey, from which you can clearly see that the business is thriving: almost the entire Turkish-Syrian border is open for smuggling. 

Click to enlarge


ISIS Brand (by "Vzglyad")


$1,53 million per day - ISIS makes from selling oil

$25-45 per barrel - average oil price on ISIS markets


Oil production in Syria:

1995: 610,000 barrels per day

2010: 386,000 barrels per day

2011: 333,300 barrels per day

2012: 182,0000 barrels per day


Map

Pink: Territories under the control of the Syrian army

Grey: Territories under the control of the Islamic state

Green: Territories under the control of other terrorist groups

Yellow: Territories under the control of the Kurds

Second column icons: oil fields; oil refineries; oil markets

Third column: oil transport routes; contraband border crossings

Greece takes a side in the Russia-Turkey standoff



December 2, 2015

Gazeta.ru

Translated from Russian by Kristina Rus


Greek Minister of Defense of Greece: Su-24 did not violate the Turkish border



The Minister of Defense of Greece, Panos Kammenos said on TV that the Russian bomber Su-24 did not violate Turkish airspace, reports RIA "Novosti".

According to the Minister, if the Russian aircraft crossed the Turkish border, Ankara "would ask to activate article 5 of the NATO Charter as a member state of the Alliance under attack".

"If Russia violated Turkish airspace, we would have taken the Turkish side. Greece is a member of NATO and the EU. We would not take the side of Russia in case of a violation" — said Kammenos.

The Minister noted that Greece condemns the violation of its airspace by Turkish fighters.

Ukraine is fighting with its Russian history one statue at a time

Konstantin Romanov

December 2, 2015

Rusnext.ru

Translated from Russian by Kristina Rus




A monument to the representative of the Russian Imperial family, the Trustee of the cadet corps, General Konstantin Romanov was removed from the territory of Odessa Military Academy (former Institute of Ground Forces).

100 years ago, the Academy was home to the Cadet corps, named in honor of Konstantin Romanov. A bronze bust to the representative of the Imperial family was established on the territory of the Military Academy in 1999.

Now instead of a monument to the general the new memorial to "the heroes of ATO" will be erected.

"The monument was dismantled in accordance with the law of Ukraine. It was moved where such things are stored. It will not be destroyed. And in its place will stand a monument to the heroes, the Military Academy graduates who died defending their country", — said the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Stepan Poltorak.

According to the Academy itself, the Romanov monument will be stored in a warehouse with expired training equipment.

Teachers and students tried to defend the monument to the guardian of cadet corps, rightfully recalling that Romanov had no relation to the Bolsheviks and even died before the revolution. However, the anti-communists turned a deaf ear to these arguments.

***

Kristina Rus: Before one rushes to justify the Kiev junta, think about how would you react if the history of your land was under attack? How does this make the Russians in Ukraine feel? 

The Biden List will shake up the Ukrainian puppets

Biden chairs the Cabinet meeting in Kiev during his previous visit


December 2, 2015


Translated from Russian by Kristina Rus



During his visit to Kyiv Biden will bring a list of those who should be removed from Ukrainian politicians - source


Sources are confident that Martynenko will be on this list


Vice-President of the United States Joe Biden during his visit to Kiev on December 7 will bring a list of those who should be removed from Ukrainian politics, argues the 112.ua article "The Biden List: Martynenko will not be the only one to loose his mandate".

"The U.S. has a list of people in the circles of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Kolomoisky, as well as Yatsenyuk, who, in the opinion of official Washington, must be out of Ukrainian politics. Martynenko is among them. He is practically a downed pilot. The list will be brought to Kiev by the Vice President of the United States Joe Biden during his visit," - say the sources in the Verkhovnaya Rada.

We will remind you that on November 30 people's deputy Nikolay Martynenko, who was charged with corruption, announced that he is surrendering his mandate. Our sources are convinced that this decision was taken under pressure from Washington. Today it was approved by the American Ambassador, who noted that in Ukraine "there is no place for corruption, nepotism".

Also during Biden's visit to Kiev talks on reformatting the Cabinet will be held. 

***

The US ambassador said that yesterday was "a great day in the war against corruption in Ukraine"


Yesterday was marked by a number of victories in the fight against corruption in Ukraine, wrote US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey R. Pyatt on his Twitter page. 

"Yesterday was a big day in the war against corruption in Ukraine. The appointment of a new anti-corruption prosecutor marks a historic opportunity," - said Payette.

He also endorsed the decision of Mykola Martynenko to step down from the Rada, noting that he thus submitted to the rule of law and confirmed that Ukraine is changing.

"Public officials must be accountable to the people they serve. There is no place for corruption and nepotism," - said Payette.


***


(***)

The problem is that Martynenko is a long-term head of the parliamentary committee on fuel and energy industry and unofficially is called the watchman of "Energoatom". In this regard he was accused of corruption by the former head of State Financial Audit, Nikolay Gordiyenko.

The vote regarding Martynenko at the Rada is scheduled for December 10, or after the Biden visit. 

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Italy prefers Putin; analyst gives some reasons why

Illustration from the Italian poll

Giampaolo ROSSI

November 30, 2015

Translated from Italian by Tom Winter, December 1, 2015

THE SURVEY A recent survey by SWG, completed after the terrorist attacks in Paris, shows 49% of Italians approve the work of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, while only 32% agree with the action of the American. The survey is indicative if you consider that Italy is historically pro-US and that in recent years we have witnessed a constant beatification of the American president and the criminalization of the Russian one, in the press, the TV, the "talking heads." The Barnum circus of talk shows, columnists, think tanks and academics and the swampish environments of manipulative power, despite the ongoing commitment of means and money, are not always able to transform reality to their own use.


Putin was recognized for the determination and effectiveness he is demonstrating in the fight against ISIS, battling openly and paying a high price. Obama is penalized for his ambiguity about facing Islamist terrorism; for responsibility (shared with the French and the English) in the Libyan disaster, the most incomprehensible and senseless war in recent years, that has opened a Pandora's box of jihadismo in the Middle East; wavering between bellicose desclarations, hesitations, and unexplained links with those who created and are still funding Isis.


Hollande, Putin
SUMMIT WITH HOLLAND But Putin's victory is not just a question of image; It is above all a matter of diplomatic and political substance. The confirmation is the recent visit of the French President François Hollande in Moscow; formally aligning military action in Syria, in fact, to undertake to meet the demands of Moscow in the UN and NATO. The attacks in Paris convinced France to line up on the same side with Russia in the fight against ISIS.


In the joint press conference, not a few in the West must have wanted to clamp their ears when Putin declared: "Those who apply two weights and two measures when dealing with terrorists, who use them to achieve their political objectives and who engage in illegal activities with them, are playing with fire. " And when the Russian leader directly attacked Turkey, not only for the downing of the jet, but for their murky role in oil dealings that feed the economy of the Caliphate, and that would involve Ankara, Hollande did not blink. Putin reiterated the existence of images (shown to the international community at the Antalya Summit) of columns of tanker trucks en route to Turkey day and night delivering oil "on an industrial scale, from the regions of Syria now in the hands of terrorists"; a sort of real "living pipeline".

Hollande, for his part, offered not the slightest defense of an allied country of France as a member of NATO; rather he even insisted that the destruction of the convoys and oil refineries -- "main sources of ISIS livelihood" (and exactly what Russia is doing), is essential to defeat the Isis. Indeed, he has even offered his condolences on the death of Russian pilot shot down by the Turks, an act not to be discounted considering that Obama, after the incident, immediately took up the defense of Erdogan.

Putin and Hollande put some other topics on the table: 1. The Ukrainian issue, agreeing on the Minsk accords (repeatedly violated by the government of Kiev) and the application of the Normandy format, settled on in recent months by the quartet of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France. 2. The need for an anti-Isis coalition at the UN (requested long since by Moscowand until recently not wanted by Washington). 3. A transition to democracy in Syria, where Hollande would not want any role for Assad, while Putin has reiterated that only the Syrian people can decide. But it is mainly on coordinating the war ISIS that the most dramatic changes have occurred.

Putin confirmed that, from the Russian point of view, "the army of President Assad and Assad himself are our natural allies in the fight against terrorism". Hollande reiterated that France will support groups "that can reverse the situation on the ground and recover the territory" taken by ISIS. But for the first time, the French president said that we must focus our attack "against Isis and terrorist groups." A clear sign that France does not intend to support the jihadist organizations of Al Qaeda (like Al Nusra Front) that America is so determined to include among the famous "rebel moderates" and which represent one of the greatest failures in the fight against the Caliphate .

CHECK TO THE KING In short, Putin emerges out of the shadow where the hawks in Washington had tried to lock him up, and has become the director of the diplomatic game in the Middle East, and the leader in the fight against ISIS. Russia stands as a global power capable of solving international crises, and not just endure them, dictating the political and military agenda. In Europe there is a growing awareness that Moscow is not an opponent, but the main ally against the Islamist threat. Perhaps it is not yet Putin's victory; certainly it is the defeat of many of his enemies.

Russia is preparing a second air base in Syria

December 1, 2015
Katamaran sdelanounas.ru
Translated for Fort Russ by Soviet Bear


Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai reported on the preparation by Russia to deploy a second military base in Syria. The Russian Aerospace Force group, as well as provision units will be deployed at the air base of Shairat 35 kilometers South-East from Homs. The number of the Russian aircraft group in Syria may rise to one hundred pieces.

“The Shairat base has 45 reinforced aircraft hangars to protect the planes from hits during shellings", — reports the special correspondent of the newspaper Elijah J. Magnier with reference to a source in the joint Russian-Syrian-Iraqi-Iranian headquarters in Damascus. As the author points out, the airfield has the three-kilometer primary runway, allowing to accept aircrafts of any type, as well as reserve runway the preparation of which ends today. According to sources utilization of the Shairat base will increase the number of Russian air group in Syria more than 100 aircraft.


In addition, Russian troops will be deployed to cover and secure the base. As a source in Russian power structures told the correspondent of "Lenta.Ru” Shairat is needed for carrying out operations in the South and East of Syria. "For the offensive in the Palmyra area and further East, in Deir-ez-Zor, the  Khmeimim base in Latakia is already quite far away, especially for operations of attack aircraft and helicopters, for which, in addition to range, a significant role is played by the speed of destruction of targets on the battlefield and in the rear," said the source. According to him, earlier, the Russian HQs have already used Shairat airport as a transit hub.

November 17, 2015 in a video presentation by Ministry of Defense a map was shown on which there were marked positions of the 5th howitzer artillery battery of 120-th guard’s artillery brigade of the Russian army deployed in the region from November 6.


Also exactly the same point in time (14:00, November 6) at the Shairat air base four Mi-24 attack helicopters and one transport Mi-8 helicopter were shown on the map , they are not identified. Sources close to power structures of Israel told "Lenta.ru", work on preparation of the Shairat airfield. Partial confirmation of this information can be data from the website Flightradar 24, according to which the activity of the Russian military-transport aircraft, including transport aircraft An-124 was observed near the air base.

2 Ukrainians tried to bring arms into Russia, were detained after short firefight.

Translated by Ollie Richardson for Fort Russ
1st December, 2015


The staff of the Border Department of Russia in the Rostov region recently detained two citizens of Ukraine who tried to smuggle weapons in. The men legally crossed the state border. They were detained when they tried to pick up the previously buried munitions at the border.



A search in the area of detention of the car revealed a cache which contained weapons and ammunition: sniper rifle, a Kalashnikov rifle, 2 grenade launchers, more than 600 rounds of ammunition and grenades, according to the press service of the FSB of Russia across the Rostov region.



During the arrest the men tried to escape. Border guards used gunfire to stop the violators. According to what is written under articles 222 and 226.1 of the criminal code, the violators could face up to 12 years of imprisonment.

Obama ignores Poroshenko at a Climate Summit (Video)


BRICS Network University promises new syncretic model of global education

December 1, 2015 - 
Anna Garde, PolitRussia
Translated for Fort Russ by J. Arnoldski



“What can the BRICS countries offer to Russian education?”

On November 18 in Moscow, the ministers of education of the BRICS countries signed a document which opens a new page in the history of the association. This document was the “Memorandum of Understanding”, the goal of which is establishing a BRICS Network University. This initiative was discussed for the first time during a joint ministerial meeting in 2013 in Paris. The initiative was launched by the Russian University of People’s Friendship which has already become a member of an international network of universities (in the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, for example). In 2014, the heads of states of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa supported the initiative at the BRICS summit in Fortaleza, and in July 2015 was supported in the Ufa declaration and noted it in the Strategy for Economic Partnership. In November, this project received separate documentary reinforcements at the ministry level.

The essence of the project is forming a new generation of professionals qualitatively different from other those with other critical thinking skills with high qualifications and the ability to make unconventional decisions in economics and social problems. 

The basic method of functioning of the university is organizing double degree programs which involve high academic mobility. For example, a two-year master program has been proposed in which the first year is held in one’s country of resident and the second in another BRICS country. The working languages of the university are Russian, Chinese, and English. 

The minister of education of the Russian Federation believes that this networked university will have a positive impact on the education system of the country. He noted that “the development of the initiative to establish a BRICS Network University will have a positive impact on the quality of Russian higher education, strengthen communication and cooperation between the universities of our countries.” In reality, to understand what Russia can get from this one needs to consider the education systems of all the countries participating in the association.

China 

The educational system of China is divided into several stages: preschool, primary, lower, and upper secondary school, university, and postgraduate education. A minimal proportion of young people make it to the last two steps, as higher education in China is still the inheritance of the elite rather than ordinary people. Only high school graduates with an academic profile and graduates of special technical schools can get higher education. The problem of inaccessibility of higher education for the masses has long been associated with the system of dividing secondary schools into regular and “key,” that is, elite. Access to the latter was opened to a limited number of people, and for these schools higher education was assumed. In 2006, this system was abolished, but the kinks remain, especially at the local level, where the “key” schools have been converted into “model” ones. 

Another feature of higher education in China is the highly restricted supply compared to demand. More than 100 people compete for a single admission place at some universities. Higher education itself is focused on the development of science, technology, and culture. Due to the large development needs of the economy, most attention is paid to economic and political sciences, as well as law, finance, information, computer technology, architecture, engineering, and other applied disciplines in the field of industry. In this context, Chines universities differ at the highest level of education as evidence by international rankings.

A growing number of teachers from abroad are being attracted to China. There are even special quotas for this purpose. Priority is given to teachers from Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe. In addition to the tough competition, students are motivated by tuition. In China, as in Russia, there is a single exam which one passes upon graduating from school. It’s necessary to pass this test with 500 points to be admitted to university, and this is quite problematic. For each point, which is not enough for admission, a student is obliged to pay one thousand yuan per year (around 4.5 thousand rubles). 

India

India has the most developed network of higher education in the world. For admission to a university, it’s unnecessary to pass an entrance exam. School results from graduation exams are sufficient. In the higher education system of India there are universities established by central authorities and colleges which are created by local governments or private organizations. All colleges are attached to a university on the principle of a branch. Universities can be established anywhere, but under such circumstances they are not funded by the center government, but the state government.

Indian colleges have a strict classification and are divided into university, government, professional, and private. Private colleges are the most common (about 7-% of the total). They can be financed from the state budget. The most important are vocational colleges which are built based on the needs of the state and society. Basically, they educate students in the field of medicine, engineering, and management, however, other variants are possible. Universities are divided into traditional and specialized. The first prepares students for a wide range of specialties, while the latter have very limited specifications. For example, there is the university of Visva Bharati, where one studies exclusively Indian music, while the University in Mumbai or oriented only towards women or Rabindra Bharati, and the Bengali language is studied. 

The stages of higher education vary depending on the complexity of a discipline. Trade and art, for example, have training for 3 years. A bachelor's degree for dentists, pharmacists, and other specialists lasts 4 years. The standard master’s program in India lasts 2 years. The last step of training if post-graduate, which lasts 2-3 years. While there is no single, unitary line of educational policy in India, this does not prevent the country from achieving success. India is the world’s leader in production in the sphere of intellectual technologies, and this experience of the country could for the network university be a serious impetus for development. 

Brazil

Unlike the educational system in India and China, Brazil does not have such a high level. Despite the fact that large amounts of federal investment are allocated to higher education, there are many problems starting with the early stages. Only primary education is mandatory in the country. Not all students reach the secondary level. The quality of public education leaves much to be desired. The test results of Prova Brasil, which takes place every two years show that 90% of students from the first 9 classes cannot translate a specified length in meters into centimeters, and about 88% can’t identify the main meaning of a text. There also exists an imbalance in the quality of teaching depending on the state while uniform standards, similar to the Russian Unitary State Exam, are used to asses level of knowledge.

Unlike paid education in China, all education in state universities in Brazil is completely free. The demand for higher education is small, so the number of applicants often matches the number of seats in a university. there are also private universities where one can receive a paid education, but basic research is conducted at public universities. Private universities specialize in the humanities while public universities mostly prepare physicians and engineers. The difference in quality of education between private and public universities is almost none according to the Prova test, which is public and allows private universities to assess one’s education level. For admission to a university, students are interviewed. The most popular areas of study in Brazil are law, journalism, medicine, computer technology and engineering. Most important is that Brazil is strong in broad internships for cultural exchanges. The country has international connections in the education sphere on all continents of the world. 

South Africa

Primary and secondary education in South Africa are not so different from the systems in other BRICS countries. Higher education in the country is sufficiently high in quality. Training is conducted in the english language. Universities are divided into universities, technical schools, and colleges which differ in their set of disciplines and teaching formats. The teaching methods of technical schools have a more applied character as specializations in the spheres of production and commerce are taught there. The majority of technical schools are tied to large manufacturing companies that allow students to take internships and get a job. Universities, for the most part, represent the humanities. Some universities in the country are present in world rankings because South Africa is one of the world’s leaders in investing in the sphere of education.


As regards the rankings of universities according to QS, the highest place among the BRICS countries is occupied by Tsinghua University in China (25th in 2015). In 41st place is Peking University, and 51st is Fudan University in Shanghai. Moscow State University takes 108th place, the University of Sao Paulo 143rd, the Indian Institute of Science 147th, and the University of Cape Town is in 171st place.

According to the Center for World University Rankings, China and its Peking University are the leaders from among BRICS countries, located in 56th place. Only 3 positions behind is Moscow State University  (59th place). The highest place among Indian universities in this rating is taken by the Technological Institute of Delhi in 341st place, and the only university of Brazil included in the ranking takes 920th place. Not a single university from South Africa is presented in the rating.

Thus, each BRICS country has its own characteristics in the sphere of education. Each of them can bring benefits in further improving the quality of education in Russia. The rich academic tradition of Russia also has much to give to this project. 

The key priorities of the Network University have already made themselves known. The main emphasis will be put on energy studies, computer science, information security, climate change, water resources, BRICS research, and economics. In fact, each country of this organization is a leader in one of these categories.


Thus, combining efforts, sharing experience in the fields of specialization and teaching methods, and pairing educational policies will allow education to be improved and more skilled specialists to be produced. 


Epic fail: French media denounce Poroshenko's speech as self-serving and "terrible taste"

December 1, 2015 -
Translated for Fort Russ by J. Arnoldski



"'This is an epic fail': Poroshenko's speech in Paris angers the French"

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko’s speech at the climate conference in Paris, where he stated that “the terrorism with which France has collided is what Ukraine has struggled with daily for the last 21 months,” has provoked an explosion of indignation in French society.

Representatives of French media were quick to appraise Poroshenko’s speech:

“Despite the fact that I understand the difficult situation facing Ukraine, this speech was an epic fail,” a journalist from Faz Politic wrote on Twitter.

“Poroshenko showed terrible taste in using the terrorist attacks in Paris to draw attention to Ukraine. It is not true and it is disgusting,” a journalist from France 24 expressed.

“Ukrainians have suffered a terrible fate, but what is even worse is having a president who will do anything to get the world’s sympathy,” he added.


“Poroshenko made a tactless remark, trying to use the terrorist attacks in Paris to draw attention to Ukraine,” the journalist Mashable described the act of the Ukrainian president.