The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Friday, November 7, 2014

Tanks 'cross Ukraine border' ..[ 4891 ]

Ukraine crisis: Tanks 'cross border' from Russia

Petro Poroshenko, 4 Nov
Petro Poroshenko said this week Ukraine had to "repel possible attacks"
A column of 32 tanks and 30 trucks has crossed into eastern Ukraine from Russia, the Ukrainian government says. The trucks were carrying ammunition and fighters, said a military spokesman, but the BBC cannot confirm his report.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 5 September, although hundreds of people have been killed since then.
More than 4,000 people have died since fighting erupted in April after pro-Russian separatists seized control in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The European OSCE monitoring mission has warned that the "bloodletting" is still going on, with numerous incidents of shelling.
If confirmed, the cross-border incursion will be a further blow to the shaky ceasefire agreed in September, says the BBC's David Stern in Kiev.
Fears of a return to full-scale conflict were raised after the separatists held elections on Sunday in defiance of Ukraine's government and Western countries.
'Cancerous tumour' After crossing the border in the rebel-controlled Luhansk region on Thursday, the Russian column headed for the town of Krasny Luch, said Ukraine's military.
"The deployment continues of military equipment and Russian mercenaries to the front lines," said military spokesman Andriy Lysenko.
Map
Nato said it was looking into the reports. In a statement, the alliance said that if confirmed the crossing "would be further evidence of Russia's aggression and direct involvement in destabilizing Ukraine".
Russia has recognised Sunday's vote which led to separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko, 38, being sworn in as head of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic.
Igor Plotnitsky, a 50-year-old ex-Soviet army officer, was declared head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, further to the east.
President Petro Poroshenko has accused the rebels of tearing up a peace deal and said a law granting the rebel-held regions partial autonomy would be scrapped. He has ordered reinforcements to key cities in case of a rebel offensive.
But the separatists hit back on Wednesday, arguing that it was the scrapping of the special status deal that broke the peace agreement.
Although Mr Poroshenko insisted he had not given up on the peace plan, he said Ukraine had to "repel possible attacks" and not allow the "spread of this cancerous tumour".
On Thursday, the rebels accused the Ukrainian government of widespread attacks on their positions, an allegation Kiev denied.
Meanwhile, officials in Moscow said Russia backed the ceasefire and wanted further peace talks between the two sides.
Russia respected the will of voters in the separatist leadership elections, said Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, adding that he had deliberately chosen the word "respect" rather than "recognise".

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