So that is all. Russian generals are calling their Belarusian colleagues in horror. In the General Staff, the officers have gloomy faces. We need to look for new ways of countering NATO in the Baltics and Poland … The defense ministers of Russia and Belarus are deciding where to transfer the announced exercises "West-2017" from the training grounds of the Republic of Belarus. And the soldiers and officers of the Belarusian army are massively writing resignation reports. Roughly the same picture is observed in those Russian units that are located on the territory of Belarus …
And on the other side of the border, where free European peoples live, folk festivals and holidays are held almost every day in honor of the heroes from NATO, who, if necessary, will breastfeed to protect the Baltic and Polish peoples. Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Poles travel long distances to personally present flowers and souvenirs to their defenders … The houses of ordinary residents of the Baltics and Poland are simply painted in the colors of NATO countries from the abundance of flags on the walls …
The beginning of the NATO combat group in Latvia is described in approximately the same tone. The age-old dream of peoples has come true! The deployment of NATO troops has been completed. At last, no less great Canadian and European soldiers and officers have arrived on the land of the great Latvian people … And now, for at least two years, until 2018, the Balts and Poles can personally see handsome soldiers from Europe. And closer to autumn, there are also 600 Americans …
In my article "Who is pushing NATO into an open confrontation with Russia. A gloomy scenario" I wrote about how Poland and the Baltic states react to the Russian-Belarusian exercises. He even quoted the President of Belarus on the issue of openness and transparency of this event for foreign observers.
But, as it turned out, there were no more people in Europe who could read. And not only in the Baltics, but also in NATO as a whole. At least, judging by Stoltenberg's statement: "We want Russia to talk about the West exercises and submit documents."
And yet, like the classics, "the key to the apartment, where the money is." I think it's worth remembering Alexander Lukashenko again. More precisely, what he said about the openness and focus of the exercises six months ago.
"Once again, I want to emphasize for those who send these signals [about the preparation of an attack on the Baltic States and Poland. - Author]: we are not shutting ourselves off from anyone. We will invite everyone to these exercises. And you will see that they wear exclusively defense character. Whatever we and the Russian Federation are not going to step on, we are not going to provoke anyone here."
What are the soldiers of the two countries now "intimidated" with? Who and in what quantity are the future heroes-defenders of peaceful Latvians now? Who, far from their homeland, stood up to defend the peaceful NATO sky, sea and earth? Which countries did not regret giving their "heroes" to Latvians?
First of all, of course, Canada. It has been a long time since Canadians have appeared in Europe. Probably since the end of the Cold War. And now … a whole mechanized infantry battalion, a reconnaissance platoon, and even on armored vehicles … 450 full-fledged soldiers … It's interesting, when the Canadian government made a decision to deploy its soldiers in Latvia, did anyone bother to look at the globe? If only to see the 7000 km distance that separates Latvia from Canada?
Anyway. In principle, the goals of such a rotation of military units are clear. In the event of force majeure, such units will be able to perform tasks not only for their intended purpose, but also to suppress the indignation of civilians. Those who "applaud" today …
Poland became the next defender state. This is understandable due to the ambitions of this country for the role of the leader of the Eastern European members … NATO and the EU. The Poles "rolled" an entire tank company to the allied lands. 160 personnel! And what can the Russian tank army do now? Check us and checkmate …
Italy did not lag behind the Poles. True, she protects her tanks. Therefore, 160 infantrymen arrived in Latvia (a mechanized company on armored vehicles).
Further - exotic. 300 Spanish soldiers and officers. Mechanized company and military engineers. Probably to teach Latvians to build defensive structures in mountainous areas. The Spaniards are not specialists in the swamps …
NATO's foresight is astounding. The world has long been "silent" about weapons of mass destruction. But it is. It seems that they have already decided that it is scary to use it in densely populated Europe. Both for the enemy and for their own country. But … Whom then were the Slovenes supposed to send "to the war"? Slovenia sent 50 specialists to defend against weapons of mass destruction to Latvia …
And the last state defender was … Albania. The country sent almost all of its engineering troops to the Baltics. 16 sappers … This is not a pound of raisins …
If we sum up all the NATO military, who today "settle down" the eastern borders of the alliance, it turns out that against aggressive Russia, in the opinion of the bloc's command, there are enough … 4,000 military personnel in this theater of operations. By the way, NATO does not plan to increase the military contingent in Poland and the Baltic states. At least that's what Jens Stoltenberg said.
What conclusion can be drawn by summarizing the above?
The hysteria of Poland and the Baltics really bothered the alliance. But without this hysteria, it is impossible to inspire the peoples of these countries with the idea of their readiness to become a victim of a military conflict. NATO generals are well aware that a full-scale war cannot be allowed. The "stake" is not the victory of one of the parties, the "stake" is life on Earth.
But many believe in the possibility of a local war in the region. In about the same vein as it was before the Second World War. Little wars in different parts of the Russian border zone. The wars are exhausting, but not affecting the territory of the main countries. "Pillars" of NATO and Russia itself. Be it North Korea, Afghanistan, Central Asian countries, Syria, Ukraine, the Baltic states, Poland … NATO is ready to sacrifice even Norway …
Let it sound cynical, but in the event of a strike on such a grouping of troops in Latvia, in reality, what actions will be taken? An instant response with all available forces and means? World war within 24 hours? As we are told constantly "hawks" on both sides.
Alas, the answer will be really local. Country-specific. For a specific army. And even the loss of units of serious armies in this "response" will not lead to the development of a conflict. There will be regular "regrets, concerns, the search for a diplomatic solution" … Only those countries that will be hit will probably no longer exist.
What are my claims based on? On the events of recent years. More precisely, on the tragedies of recent years. Downed Russian plane by a pilot of a NATO member country led to war between NATO and the Russian Federation? The "stupid" "Tomahawks" who "did not want" to fulfill their combat mission, led to war? "Accidentally" sunk Russian reconnaissance ship led to war? Long-term out-of-service American warship in the South China Sea led to war?
In the meantime, in order for readers to understand the joy of Latvians from the deployment of NATO contingents on their territory, I will quote from an article by Imants Viksne in the newspaper Neatkarigas Rita Avize, in which he describes the military parade that took place on June 19 in honor of the end the process of deploying alliance units in Poland and the Baltic states.
"On Monday, at the solemn ceremony, one could see how the military traditions of different countries differ - form, step, bearing. The mentality is also different, and the soldiers will have to adapt to each other, especially because the base in Adazi is now crowded. But the parade looked good overall. It was attended not only by high-ranking officials of the Latvian military department, but also by the President of the Latvian state Raimonds Vejonis, as well as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Their message remains unchanged: a threat to one NATO member state is a threat to all. This is a strong confirmation of solidarity. The parade was accompanied by an orchestra and was greeted from the air by three huge helicopters."
Hmmm, the presence of a military band at the parade, and most importantly, "three huge helicopters" that greet the servicemen really inspire belief in the inaccessibility of borders … I wonder what is necessary for the brain to start doing its "job"? To not just "dangle" in the skull, periodically recalling yesterday's drinking bouts (I remembered Latvia's place in the list of the most drinking countries), but thought … Thought … Drew conclusions … Maybe dancers? Or huge kites in the hands of Latvian children? What are the children to blame for the fact that their parents are idiots?
