it did not need to use this capability, but it went out of its way to launch missiles from the caspian seao demonstrate range of aircraft. in addition russia has deployed russian bomb frers that base we saw all across western europe through the straits of gibraltar into the mediterranean to launch crews missiles in syria. again, it had capabilities in syria already. it did not need to do that. moscow chose to use those capabilities to show what is around and military options. briefly, change in nature of the threat nato is facing. it is true and it is a fact, russia is a much weaker power militarily than the soviet union was. but at the same time, it is also true and a fact that russia remains -- has a quantifiable military superiority over all its neighbors to the west and to the south. the great red bar we see there, those are russian military capabilities. all of the bars to the left of it, those are the military capabilities of russia's neighbors. russia wants its neighbors weak and unstable so it can comers them and influence them and shape their patterns. but if we also look at the c

military route is along the coast of the caspian sea.u,e military route is along the coast of the caspian seaeader. the pride of this generation of russians for it was their city built in their time. the nazis would have a base on which to launch a planking take on moscow. with one stroke the russian army would be cut off and in the north russian factories, russian farms and russian armies would be practically cut off from caucuses oil. and also from american and british supplies. which were shipped to russia through iran and iraq. a tripling blow for russia, but the vital artery through which flowed the life blood of supplies. early in may, the german offensive began along a front. the nazi steam roller overran. the nazi's had complete control of crimea and southern route of the oil fields. next they started to go further north and drove through the don river. then south and east until they occupied the whole area from the don river south to rasta. this left them in perfect position to strike against stalin grad. by the end of august, they captured the oil fields. needless to say, first demo