Russia Showcases Global Ambitions With Military Parades, One in Syria
By IVAN NECHEPURENKOJULY 30, 2017
MOSCOW — Russia’s global military ambition was on display Sunday when the country celebrated Navy
Day with large military parades not only in St. Petersburg, but also off the coast of Syria.
The parades of ships, submarines and aircraft were held at Russian naval bases in Sevastopol, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014,
and at Tartus in Syria, where Russia is expanding its military presence.
"New ships are being commissioned; the fleet’s combat training and readiness are being perfected." "Today, the navy is not only solving its traditional tasks,
but is also nobly responding to new challenges, making a significant contribution to the fight against terrorism and piracy." Numerous ships then proceeded in front of the embankment, with new ones showcasing the continued modernization of the Russian fleet.
In Syria, seven Russian ships and a submarine took part in their own military parade just off the Russian military installation there.
Russia’s presence in Syria also created a bargaining chip for the Kremlin in its conflict with the West over the annexation of Crimea in Ukraine
and what American intelligence agencies say were its attempts to intervene in the United States presidential election in 2016.
Large ships and submarines that could not enter the Neva River were lined up in the nearby naval
base city of Kronshtadt, which guards the entrance to St. Petersburg from the Gulf of Finland.
