WATCH: Russian Aircraft Carrier Smokes Through English Channel

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WATCH: Russian Aircraft Carrier Smokes Through English Channel
RE: http://www.defensetech.org/2016/10/2...glish-channel/

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The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov billows smoke as it passes through the Straits of Dover in the southeast of England as a fleet of Russian warships sail through the North Sea and the English Channel on Friday Oct. 21, 2016. Britain is sending warships to watch a Russian aircraft carrier group and other vessels as they sail through the North Sea and the English Channel. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said Thursday, that the military will watch "every step of the way." (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

POSTED BY: BRENDAN MCGARRY OCTOBER 21, 2016
The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov transited the English Channel on Friday en route to Syria.

Likely envisioned as the latest display of Russian power projection, the move appears to have backfired.

Photos and videos captured by international media showed the vessel billowing large plumes of black smoke, drawing jokes on social media that the steam-powered ship was actually a 19th century relic fueled by coal.

The Russian aircraft carrier, its flagship, is making its first combat deployment, cruising to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to launch airstrikes in Syria, where Russia supports the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in the five-year-old civil war.

The U.S. has also deployed aircraft and special operations forces to the fight in Syria to support rebels who oppose Assad and militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

Naval enthusiasts on Twitter couldn’t resist commenting on what could be wrong with the Kuznetsov, with one observer, Mark Best, saying the excessive smoke could be the result of water in the fuel or partially burned fuel, among other factors.