This video grab taken from footage of local media Kerch Info on Nov. 25, 2018 shows Russian aircraft flying over the Crimean Bridge that spans the Kerch Strait, a narrow strip that links the Azov and Black seas, as a Russian ship blocks the strait, after Russia fired on and then seized three Ukrainian ships on Nov. 25, accusing them of illegally entering its waters in the Sea of Azov.
Photo by AFP
Kyiv Post: If Russia wages all-out war, non-NATO member Ukraine is on its own
BRUSSELS – After almost five years of Russian war against Ukraine, tensions are higher after Russian Coast Guard ships on Nov. 25 attacked and then seized three Ukrainian vessels as they tried to cross the Kerch Strait connecting the Black and Azov Sea.
On Nov 26 at 10 a.m., NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talked with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko about the developments. Stoltenberg agreed to Poroshenko’s request for an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at the ambassadorial level in Brussels. Also, Ukrainian Ambassador to NATO Vadym Prystaiko gave a briefing, showing intercepted audio and video evidence.
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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- November 27, 2018
Captured Ukrainian sailors seen on Russian TV apparently confessing to ‘provocative’ actions -- FOX News
NATO to meet after Russia-Ukraine naval clash -- Washington Examiner
US lawmakers urge Trump to arm Ukraine, break silence on Russian blockade -- Defense News
US Navy steps up training standards following fatal McCain, Fitzgerald collisions -- Defense News
Trump Again Questions Reliability of Navy's New Carrier Launch System -- Military.com
USS John C. Stennis carrier strike group docks in Singapore -- UPI
Raytheon awarded support contract for Standard surface-to-air missiles -- UPI
Ranger was likely killed accidentally by Afghan troops, military says -- Stars and Stripes
3 US service members killed in Afghanistan -- The Hill
Defense Officials Warn of China and Russia Tampering in Caribbean -- Military.com
At US Southern Command, Mattis says military alliances help stability in Western Hemisphere -- Navy Times
US holds the California border against migrant rush, without military backup -- Washington Examiner
What Role The U.S. Military Is Playing At The Mexican Border -- NPR
Despite South China Sea Tensions, Air Force Commander Sees No Overt Intercept Threat -- Military.com
US Air Force Is Redrawing Its Pacific-War Playbook for China -- Defense One
Air Force: No bomber presence over the Korean Peninsula since talks -- Air Force Times
Report: U.S., South Korea holding joint exercises away from peninsula -- UPI
'Unfortunate': Norwegian Ship Salvaging Sunken Frigate Runs Into Pleasure Boat -- Sputnik
Russia seeks to restore dialogue with NATO, Lavrov says -- TASS
Russia Gets New Missiles Designed for War in Arctic as U.S. Military Looks North -- Newsweek
Russian Military Issues Secure Thumb Drives to Prevent Leaks — Reports -- Moscow Times
Russia’s next-generation light military transport plane delivered for flight tests -- TASS
China confirms its third aircraft carrier in the works -- Nikkei Asian Review
China Reportedly Starts Building 'New-Generation' Aircraft Carrier -- Sputnik
Japan to order 100 more F-35 fighters from US -- Nikkei Asian Review
Saab, BAE, Lockheed partner for Australia's Hunter-class frigates -- UPI
Progress on drone, vehicle engines signals Turkey’s independence from foreign suppliers -- Defense News
Israel Grows Stealth Arsenal With More F-35 Fighter Jets -- Sputnik
Is the expansion of Egypt’s defense industry working? -- Defense News
India, Singapore bolster intel sharing in wake of bilateral naval exercise -- Defense News
Ukraine is on its own? Not really as the US is already supplying lethal equipment to Kiev and would likely significantly ramp up supplies if Russia broadened its war plans. True no NATO troops for Ukraine, but likely contractors and new gear to raise the costs to Russia. With oil prices skidding and US oil and gas output rising sharply I don't think Russia's economy will long tolerate an expensive broader war in Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteAnon (1:26PM),
ReplyDeleteYou are essentially spot on. This essentially the approach that team Trump is using. Furthermore with the combination of falling oil prices and rising US production this has the potential to make America the most powerful country in the world. With that said the Trump strategy seems to be predicated on the fact that Russia will not take more extreme actions.
For example, if the Russian economy cannot tolerate a broader war in Ukraine which is debatable, they may take extreme steps to win the war quickly. POTUS said the first thing he did upon assuming office was to upgrade America's nuclear deterrent. As a candidate he rightly asked whether our arsenal would even work. If this in fact happened and the steps to upgrade America's military capabilities are on schedule, then perhaps we can prevail.
While we may be right to question whether Russia's economy can handle this, America's economy while growing is precarious in and of itself. How well can it handle a military blockade by its adversaries? What if certain key raw materials or other things of importance are cut off? Is Ukraine even worth all of this? Before rushing headlong into any war such things need to be seriously considered.