The Russian Navy has a big investment in the Ukraine. Putin won't leave.

"The Black Sea, like the Baltic, represented a major shipbuilding and trading region of the former Soviet Union. With the breakup of the old Soviet Union, however, the major port and naval facilities of Sevastopol, Odessa, and Nikolayev passed to the jurisdiction of the newly created nation of Ukraine. To operate their fleet effectively Russia must now lease such facilities from the Ukraine or perhaps build new centers along its eastern shore of the Black Sea. Three major nations now dominate the Black Sea, namely Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey, the latter of which is a member of NATO.

Russia has substanial commitment in the area with its former headquarters at Sevastopol and major construction yards at Nikolayev which produced four Kiev class carriers and the more recent conventional carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. Moreover, the Black Sea has been a research and development ground for numerous ships, aircraft, hydrofoils, hovercraft, wing-in-ground effect platforms, and weapons systems.

While the Black Sea has perhaps the most pleasant climate and conditions in all of Russia, it has possibly the worst strategic location of all the four fleets. The only exit from the Black Sea is through the 180 mile long Turkish-controlled Turkish Straits. The straits are composed, from NE to SW, of the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles. In the Bosporus, at the northern end of the straits, ships must navigate a passage that narrows to as little as 800 yards before the Sea of Marmara is reached. After the Sea of Marmara, ships transit the final 40 miles of the straits, the Dardanelles, which are from one to four miles wide.

In addition to the great geographic restrictions on transit, there are legal restrictions as well. Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, Turkey must be notified eight days before a transit through the straits. Aircraft carriers are not allowed to transit and submarines must transit the straits on the surface. Such a restriction, however, did not prevent illegal transit of the first Kiev carrier in 1976. "

Black Sea Fleet (BSF) Morskoyo Flota ( Naval Force)


A "Grave mistake"? Is that like a "Red Line in the sand"?

US tells Russia to keep troops out of Ukraine as Crimea flashpoint looms - Telegraph

The White House warned Russia to keep its troops out of Ukraine on Sunday night, amid fears that Moscow may step in with military force following the overthrow of the president, its ally.

Moscow accused the Ukrainian opposition of breaking a peace deal to seize power as Russia recalled its ambassador from Kiev, blaming the “deteriorating situation” in its neighbour.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said opposition leaders had broken the agreement mediated by European foreign ministers on Friday, “having in effect seized power in Kiev, refused to disarm and continued to place its bets on violence.”

Barack Obama’s national security adviser said it would be a “grave mistake” for Vladimir Putin to send soldiers into Ukraine to restore a friendly government after the upheaval.

Susan Rice said nobody would benefit if Ukraine were to split apart......