ABSTRACT
The fleet reacted to two Mediterranean crises, the Cyprus crisis of July 1974 and the Lebanese Civil War in the spring and summer of 1976. The area south of Crete remained the primary exercise area of the Soviet Navy, reflecting the belief that this area is the most likely scene for an initial US-Soviet engagement should hostilities occur in the Mediterranean. The Soviet Navy conducted a rather large-scale exercise in June 1976, which was witnessed by Admiral Gorshkov. The Cyprus crisis of 1974, initiated by hostilities between Cypriots of Greek and Turkish descent, involved both Greece and Turkey. Related Soviet naval actions reached a climax in July, when the Soviets apparently decided the hostilities endangered Soviet citizens. The Soviets responded more significantly during the Lebanese Civil War in June 1976. The Arab-Israeli War of October 1973 drastically altered the Egyptian-Soviet relationship.
