Russian warships land in Venezuela

Nov 25, 2008, 10:20 GMT

Moscow - A Russian naval squadron neared landfall in Venezuela on Tuesday for joint exercises in US-patrolled Caribbean waters - reviving Cold War-era maneuvers dating back to Soviet times.

The war games, which are being closely monitored by the United States, coincide with the two-day visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Caracas on Wednesday.

Medvedev will hold bilateral with avid US critic President Hugo Chavez, whose administration is a key Russian arms client.

Russian navy spokesman Igor Dyagalo said the task force - including the nuclear-powered, missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky and the anti-submarine warship Admiral Charabenko - would put in at the Venezuelan port of La Guaira, near Caracas, on Tuesday.

The maneuvers will start at sea on December 1 and involve joint maneuvers, inspections, rescue and resupply operations, Dygalo told Ria-Novosti news agency.

It is the first time Russia has held such large-scale military games in the Western Hemisphere since Soviet times.

Analysts see the move as part of a long-term Kremlin's strategy to counter US hegemony, timed with Medvedev's week-long tour in South America this week.

Moscow drive to cement ties with US foes Venezuela and Cuba, observers say, is a reaction to growing US influence in post-Soviet states formerly under Moscow's yoke.

It is sparked by anger over US support for Georgia during the war in August and US missile defence plans in Eastern Europe.