No Mistrals For Putin

Un an et 15 jours déjà que nous avons créé le groupe "Mistral" Class, Invasion vessels "Vladivostok" & "Sevastopol". Nous étions un poignée de farfelus qui ne pouvait tolérer la honte d'une nouvelle collaboration avec un régime criminel. "Quoi? Vous voulez casser le contrat Mistral? Vous êtes des fous inconscients. Cela ne marchera jamais."

The second Mistral war ship "Sevastopol" just left St Nazaire to go on sea trials. You can follow it live with this link (the picture of the ship is wrong on the website but this is the correct one): http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-2.196903/centery:47.2639/zoom:8/mmsi:228140600/shipid:2061662 On March 4, 2015, on "No Mistrals for Putin" Facebook page we wrote: First sails for BPC Sebastopol tests  in March - With Russian officers? Long before the end of June 2014, Russian officers had boarded a Mistral in St Nazaire. This has been confirmed to us by a local hotel owner and it is also what we could deduce from the video of the first test of the Vladivostok in March 2014. At the VHF (radio), we heard Russian language was spoken. For Sevastopol, will they be there this month? If so, the secret is well kept as it would arouse unanimous disapproval while the army of Putin and his auxiliaries of the Donbass violate the Minsk 2 agreements spons...

Saint Nazaire, Bretagne, France - 23/02/2015 "Russian" Mistrals in Penhoët Dock St Nazaire With: Olesia Fediv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine Photo: Bernard Grua, Nantes, Bretagne, France BPC Sevastopol, still in completion (should start sea tests in March 2015) BPC Vladivostok, ready to be delivered Saint Nazaire, Bretagne, France - 22/02/2015.- "Russian" Mistrals in Penhoët Dock St Nazaire.- Photo: Bernard grua, Nantes, Bretagne, France.- With: Olesia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. First in the background, BPC Sevastopol, still in completion (should start sea tests in March 2015).- Second one: BPC Vladivostok, ready to be delivered Saint Nazaire, Bretagne, France - 22/02/2015.- "Russian" Mistrals in Penhoët Dock St Nazaire.- Photo: Bernard grua, Nantes, Bretagne, France.- With: Olesia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. First in the background, BPC Sevastopol, still in completion (should start sea tests in March 2015).- Second one: BPC Vladivostok, ready to be delivered ...

Russian vessel Smolnyi leaving St Nazaire to return to Russia - Photo Bernard Grua SAINT-NAZAIRE, France, Dec 18 (NMFP) - A ship carrying the Russian sailors who have been training for months on a French-built Mistral helicopter carrier left the French port of Saint-Nazaire on Thursday, in a departure that seems to exclude the delivery of the Mistral to Russia. A few activists including Bernard Grua saw their ship, the Smolny, leave the Atlantic Ocean port and head out to sea. French media reported this week how many of the 400 sailors and 150 crew members had been stocking up with parcels of purchases at local retailers. The sailors arrived in late June at the shipyard to begin training on a first carrier, named Vladivostock, which France was due to deliver to Russia by the last quarter of 2014. Bon vent! as we say in French (used to express relieve when somebody you don't want to see leaves finally) A few pictures taken by Bernard Grua : Russian vessel S...

Ouest France  posted pictures of the Russian  sailors going back to the Smolnyi with all their belongings. The departure would be for tomorrow Thursday 18th of December around 2pm French time, during the high tide. The sailors are doing a last shopping spree before final departure. The Mistral "Vladivostok", parked for now at the exit of the Louis Joubert dock should move and be located where the Smolnyi is since its arrival on the 6th of June. The information is classified and the French Defence Ministry turns down vehemently any requests to comment on it. According to the French newspaper "Ouest France" , the 400 russian sailors that have been training on the Mistral for the last six month in St Nazaire will leave France before the end of the year. This is a definitive departure and the sailors should be able to spend Christmas with their family. Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January in Russia according to the Christian Orthodox tradition. They wi...

According to  Russia’s Gazeta.ru news website , dozens of Russian marines, together with officers and sailors from the country’s Pacific and Baltic Fleets, currently remain on board the warship, the website says, quoting a representative of the General Staff without disclosing his name. Russian Militaries on the deck of Mistral-class vessel Vladivostok The marines arrived at the “Vladivostok” warship back in September and were supposed to depart for Russia right after the delivery of the vessel. One of the Russians on board the Mistral-class carrier declared “We are fine; we lack neither food nor money. However, it looks like we are going to celebrate New Year here, although nobody knows for sure,”  but refused to discuss if there is any weaponry on board and whether they are allowed to use it if the situation gets worse. Former Russian naval commander Vladimir Masorin said the infantry came on board to protect it from attacks during the transitional period. ...

Oil has cratered more than 42 percent from its June highs. WTI sank another 4.4 percent Wednesday to a fresh five-year low just shy of $61 per barrel, and Brent lost another 4 percent to $64.19 per barrel. Who is taking a dive and who benefits from it?