Via ID, the Russians may have arrived at an innovative solution for two twitchy problems. It is now stated policy that Russia will seek to build half a dozen or so aircraft carriers, in order to create carrier battle groups capable of operating in the Mediterranean, the North Sea, and the Pacific. Russia currently possesses one 20-year-old carrier and has no such ships under construction (although a Russian yard is refurbishing an even older carrier for sale to India). Also, Russia hasn't built any large military vessels since Soviet times, leaving its construction yards and human capital (experienced shipbuilders) in poor condition. Russia also has a problem in the Black Sea; in no small part because of Russian aggressiveness toward Georgia, the Ukrainians are reaching out to the West.
And so, solution: Build aircraft carriers in Ukraine. It's a bit cheaper (although not much) and it takes advantage of some of the biggest former Soviet shipyards. More importantly, contracts for supercarriers (which take a long time to build, and are extremely expensive) may bind Ukraine politically and financially to Russia. Ukraine could hardly turn down Russian offers for such contracts, because its own shipbuilding industry is just as moribund as Russia's. And Russia may also be able to make a side deal to keep its base in Sevastopol, from which the Black Sea Fleet deployed against Georgia.
If this happens, it strikes me as smart Russian policy-making, which stands in contrast to the useless bluster of sending a task force to Venezuela. I can't be the only one thinking that the Peter the Great and its battlegroup could be more helpfully employed off the Horn of Africa...
--Robert Farley
