Russia sending air and sea defenses to Syria, exporter says • MOSCOW — The chief of Russia’s state-controlled arms exporter said Friday that his company was shipping advanced defensive missile systems to Syria that could be used to shoot down airplanes or sink ships if the United States or other Western nations try to intervene to halt the country’s spiral of violence.
“I would like to say these mechanisms are really a good means of defense, a reliable defense against attacks from the air or sea,” said Anatoly Isaykin, general director of the company, Rosoboronexport. “This is not a threat, but whoever is planning an attack should think about this.”
His remarks come days after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton raised pressure on Russia, Syria’s patron, by criticizing the Kremlin for sending attack helicopters to Damascus. Although the weapons systems are not considered cutting-edge, the words and actions added to a Cold War chill that has been settling over relations between Washington and Moscow. The New York Times
