Table of contents:
- When the Soviet military first appeared in Cuba
- What attracted Vietnam to the Soviet military
- What are the advantages of the USSR given the presence of a military base in Somalia
- How the USSR military base appeared in the Seychelles
- What was the purpose of creating a Soviet military base in Yemen
Video: Why did the USSR create military bases on the territory of distant states after World War II
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
During the Cold War, competing with the United States in the arms race, the Soviet Union, like America, created military bases around the world. The presence of such objects made it possible to expand the sphere of influence and obtain a strategic advantage of the geopolitical plan. In addition to bases on the territory of the Warsaw Pact countries, military destinations arose in places more remote than Eastern Europe.
When the Soviet military first appeared in Cuba
A contingent of Soviet servicemen arrived in Cuba on September 9, 1962, when the Soviet Union delivered ballistic missiles here as part of Operation Anadyr. Since that time, a permanent group of troops, which received the abbreviation GVSK (a group of Soviet military specialists in Cuba), has been stationed on the island of Liberty.
This Latin American country was of interest to the Moscow leadership primarily because of its proximity to the United States. To keep an eye on the main enemy, in Lourdes (southern suburb of Havana), the Soviet Union built an electronic reconnaissance center. Due to the fact that the distance from the intercepted object to the US border was no more than 250 km, the specialists stationed on the island could listen to almost the entire territory of a potential enemy.
Before the collapse of the USSR, there were about 3,000 employees on the island: in addition to the radio-electronic center, Cuba had a communications center "Priboi" in the city of El Gabriel and a naval base in the port of Cienfuegos. In September 1992, Moscow decided to withdraw Russian military personnel from the country, and in November the first group of Soviet specialists was sent home from Havana.
What attracted Vietnam to the Soviet military
During the war, the deep-sea Cam Ranh Bay in South Vietnam was used by the United States as a base for aviation and a naval base. In April 1975, Cam Ranh came under the control of the North Vietnamese army, and a few years later it was leased to the USSR for free to create a logistics center.
In addition to the shipyard, the base had a port that could simultaneously accommodate up to 6 auxiliary military vessels, 10 ships and 8 submarines. And also a large airfield, designed for the simultaneous deployment of up to 16 strategic missile carriers, about three transport and ten reconnaissance aircraft.
Cam Ranh was considered the largest Soviet base abroad: at the peak of its use, the personnel numbered up to 10,000 troops. In the fall of 2001, the Russian leadership refused to extend the lease, which had been paid since 2004, and began an early evacuation of the military from the country. In October 2016, official Vietnam announced a ban on the deployment of any foreign military bases on its territories.
What are the advantages of the USSR given the presence of a military base in Somalia
The naval base in the Gulf of Aden appeared in the Soviet Union in 1964 and became a real oasis of civilization in a country backward in all directions. The main advantage of the base was its geopolitical location: it made it possible to control the movement of ships along the Suez Canal.
The base had the infrastructure for the ships of the navy, as well as the airport in Berbera, with the longest airstrip in Africa at that time (more than 4 km). In addition to strategic bombers and missile-carrying aircraft, it housed reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft.
After Somalia attacked Ethiopia and Soviet support for Addis Ababa, the Somali authorities demanded the withdrawal of the Soviet military from the country, thus banning the further activities of the base.
How the USSR military base appeared in the Seychelles
The appearance of the USSR base in the Seychelles was helped by a chance. In November 1981, a group of mercenaries from South Africa planned to carry out a coup in the country. However, after the seizure of the airport, the attempt to take control of the Seychelles capital failed: the people's army, despite the small number (about 250 people), managed to block the exit from the airport. Having seized a civilian plane, some of the militants were able to leave the country, the remaining mercenaries were arrested by the island police.
During the events described, Soviet ships were located near the archipelago. Having received the message about the attempted coup d'état, they immediately proceeded to the island of Mahe, on which the capital of Victoria was located. Despite the fact that the USSR did not provide military assistance due to lack of need - the Seychelles army coped with the terrorists on its own - the desire of foreigners to come to the rescue was appreciated by the local government.
As a result, the Soviet Union had the opportunity to use the island state as a point of logistics for the fleet. And also have access to the capital airport of the country. Mutually beneficial cooperation continued until 1990, after which the base in the Seychelles ceased to exist.
What was the purpose of creating a Soviet military base in Yemen
After the outbreak of civil war in Yemen, which was caused in 1962 by an anti-monarchist coup, the Soviet Union sided with the Republicans. However, he did not take an active part in the conflict, providing the allies mainly with assistance to military transport aviation.
The Soviet Navy base appeared on the Socotra Islands in 1976 and existed until 1986. Only for the period 1976-1979. the port of the base received 123 ships for replenishment of supplies and rest, and the number of personnel during this time increased to a thousand people. The local airport, modernized by the military, helped in 1977 to hastily relocate Soviet aviation after the forced withdrawal from Somalia.
In January 1986, a new coup took place in South Yemen, resulting in civil war and chaos. The riots forced them to flee the country, and not in an organized manner. The fate of some civilian and military specialists, who, apparently, never managed to get out of this Asian country, is still unknown.
Not only the USSR, but also other countries set up their bases and sent expeditions to the most remote corners of the planet. A Hitler, in complete secrecy, sent the military even to Antarctica. The expedition had a very definite goal.
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