The Ukraine crisis: Russia may halt (START) strategic weapons inspections, revert to Cold War tactics

The Ukraine crisis: Russia may halt (START) strategic weapons inspections, revert to Cold War tactics 

Debka 08-Mar-14 

Russia further ratcheted up international tensions over Ukraine Saturday, March 8, with a statement that “Russia is considering halting foreign inspections of its strategic weapons arsenal, including nuclear-capable missiles, in response to ‘threats’ from the United States and NATO over the Ukraine crisis. debkafile: Moscow is warning that it is prepared to revert to the Soviet Union’s belligerent posture unless the US and the West back down on the Ukraine dispute. This would be an abdication from START, which was first signed between the United States and Russian in 1991, to end the Cold War and effectively disband the Soviet empire. 

March 9, 2014 Briefs 

    Forty rockets unloaded from Iranian arms ship in Eilat 

    Israeli troops Sunday unloaded 40 M302 rockets whose range is 160km, nearly two hundred 121-mm mortar shells and about 400,000 7.62-mm-caliber bullets for Kalashnikovs in the hold of the KLOS C ship from Iran, which Israeli commandos seized on the Red Sea last Wednesday. 

    Egypt: The Iranian missile ship was bound for Sinai or Gaza 

    An Egyptian security source reported Sunday that the Egyptian missile ship apprehended by Israeli commandos destined for terrorists in Sinai or the Gaza Strip. The sea route through Sudan is plied routinely by smugglers and illegal migrant traffickers. 

    US warns Russia against moves for Crimea annexation 

    In a call to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Saturday, Secretary of State John Kerry “made clear that continued military escalation and provocation in Crimea or elsewhere in Ukraine, along with steps to annex Crimea to Russia would close any available space for diplomacy, and he urged utmost restraint," the state department reported. Warning shots meanwhile prevented OSCE observers from entering Crimea. 

    Lavrov had earlier said that the crisis in Ukraine was "created artificially for purely geopolitical reasons". 

March 10, 2014 Briefs 

    A Palestinian shot trying to snatch Israeli soldier’s sidearm 

    The incident occurred at the Allenby Bridge crossing in to Jordan. A Palestinian, aged 37 from Nablus, jumped off the bus which delivered him from Jordan, shouting Allah Akhbar, leaping on the IDF soldiers guarding the terminal and trying to snatch one of their guns. Civilian security officers and soldiers shot him dead. The incident later developed into a crisis with Jordan, after the Palestinian was identified as a Jordanian judge. 

    US transfers another $429m to support Israel’s Iron Dome 

    The new US-Israel accord ensures "ensures continued US funding for procurement of Iron Dome systems and interceptors, and provides for significant co-production opportunities for US industry,"