Russian ship enters Panama Canal
The Panama Canal, located on the isthmus between North and South America, is one of the world's most important international waterways
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Saturday, 06, Dec 2008 11:12
A Russian warship has entered the Panama Canal for the first time since the second World War.
The Canal is a vital shipping route and analysts have interpreted the move as a challenge by Russia in America's backyard.
The Admiral Chabanenko, which has a crew of 451 people, was taking part in exercises with the navy of Venezuela, whose president Hugo Chavez is a strident critic of the United States.
After sailing through the important waterway, the ship will dock at a former US base in the region, the Rodman, where it is scheduled to stop for a period of five days.
A spokesman for Russia's embassy in the region said the last time a Russian ship docked in the region was during 1944 as the US and Soviet Union united to defeat Germany and Japan. Soviet fleets were not allowed to venture near the canal during the Cold War between the two ideological rivals.
Tensions between the two nations have heightened in the past few months following Russia's threat to point missiles at its neighbours after the US insisted that it would continue to install missile defence equipment in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The two countries also exchanged harsh words over Russia's invasion of Georgian territory in August.