Posted on 11/26/2013 7:48:35 AM PST by cunning_fish
Last Good Friday, two Russian Tu-22M3 bombers, escorted by four Su-27 fighter aircraft, simulated an aerial assault on two military targets in Sweden— the first near the capital Stockholm and the second in a southern part of the country. This was then followed in September by Zapad-13 (“Zapad” means “West”), Russia’s biannual military exercise, which this year was jointly held with Belarusian forces variously in Belarus, along the borders of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and in Kaliningrad, Russia’s non-contiguous seaport territory that lies between Poland and Lithuania.
Though initially billed as a counterterrorism operation targeting “illegal armed groups,” Zapad-13 was very clearly aimed at fighting conventional armies on European soil. Which ones? Stephen Blank of the Jamestown Foundation has noted that the “simulated ‘terrorists’ were apparently Balts intent on mounting operations in Belarus against that government and on behalf of their supposedly oppressed ethnic kinsmen.” (Moscow propaganda usually has it that independent Baltic states with pro-European and pro-American bents are the modern-day embodiment of Nazi regimes insufficiently grateful for their “liberation” and occupation by the Red Army.)
An estimated 70,000 soldiers took part in Zapad-13, three times the number given in advance to NATO by the Russian government, although this year, contrary to reports in the Polish press, Russia did not simulate a nuclear strike on Warsaw, as it has in the past. Seventy thousand troops, however, imply quite lot of “terrorists” in need of vanquishing by land, air or sea. Included in the order of battle were a Belarusian amphibious landing force, Russian paratroopers and Spetsgruppy (special forces), and 10,000 paramilitary troops from Russia’s Interior Ministry as well as unmanned aerial vehicles for targeting and damage assessment.
According to Karlis Neretnieks of the Royal Swedish Academy of War
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
cause you never know when those wascally Swedes might try and take Kaliningrad....
With the Nancy Boy pussy president of the USA creating power vacuums around the world Russia, China and others will rush in to fill the gaps.
As I'm sure you are aware, almost every Western European power has started up with, and invaded or attempted to invade Russia and Eastern European Slavic states in recent history, both before and after the Bolshevik usurpation.
Jamestown foundation routinely conflates all historical Russian defense with defense of Communist USSR military might and policy, thus demonizing Russian defense preparations routinely accepted for "non Communist" states.
Then Jamestown poo poos and whitewashes Western European actions that are indeed reminiscent of National Socialism.
Well it doesn't work with me, Jamestown is just a bunch of exiles so pissed they don't run Russia, they've become Russophobes pretending to be anti Communists.
You can comment on your own posts, if you like.
With Putin being a KGB leader, honoring the achievements of the Soviet state, and wrapping acceptance and glorification of the Soviet past into Imperial Russian history, it is a good idea to take any Russian military exercise with a gut check.
Russia is still an expansionist country, gives weapons to Iran, North Korea and other adversaries of America, has serious human rights abuses, and supports states that sponsor terrorism (hezbollah).
Hard to argue with Russia’s methods for handling the LGBT menace to civilization. The fact that our military is being eviscerated in the name of ‘gay tolerance’ is certain evidence that the Russians are spot-on right about the queers being a threat to normal people. The queers in our government, including ‘Bath House Barry’, would rather see our military defenses rendered useless in order to advance their sexually depraved agenda than to see America be able to resist a foe like Russia.
Propping up the communist Lukashenko dictatorship is a waste of Russian money. Luka just keeps playing the hapless fool Putin like a fiddle. The Baltic nations pose no threat at all to Russia, it is Russia who threatens them unprovoked. Russia acts real tough when they are picking on a weak tiny nation like Georgia, but if they had to fight a real war against NATO, the most powerful military force in the world, Russia would lose.
Now I understand why Poland is buying German Tanks. Maybe the Sweds need to do the same.
Nice to see you too, Patriot.
IMHO, such a muscle flexing makes no sense at that point. I don’t think there is a possibility of any military attack on Russia from Europe.
They have to look South to see the real threat.
I'll take your word for it, as I am rapidly finding out how much I don't know about Russia and Russian attitudes among the real Russian people. The one thing that I have found to be true is Russia/Russians are grossly misrepresented in the Western Media (so the MSM IS consistent that way).
I don’t think there is a possibility of any military attack on Russia from Europe.
I agree (with the notation below), however my purpose in reciting the Western European military conflicts with Russia was to give credibility to my belief that WE attitudes toward Russia are not benevolent, but are designed to economically subjugate EE Slavs and Russians for the benefit of WE Socialist elites. In short, another WE plan to loot EE states and then Russia.
Notation: WE powers have acted to Islamicize the Balkans, notably the Clinton regeim's false witiness war against Serbia bringing the Kosovo province under the absolute control of the most criminal Muslims in Europe, and the WE/US propping of Georgia's Muslim influence. If Russia is militarily attacked from the South, I think you will agree that some of the South has moved into the West, and it is not to benefit Russia.
You might be right but a couple of nuke bombers and fighter escorts performing a (mock?) strike on real military targets in NATO airspace is a bit too much.
BTW, I don’t think WE were key players in Balkan adventure. Kosovo is a huge thorn in their behind to say the least. I think it is fair to point a finger at Clinton.
They were certainly in it for the money, they did and still have grand plans to integrate EE states into the IMF and western banking under IMF authority.
Now after 15 years we see how well the EU and the Euro fare. Eastern European state should be given the right to opt out of Socialist economic policies if they so choose. WE states are not going to be so generous unless someone offers EE states a better deal.
The record of UN blue helmet criminal activity in EE states is disturbing, and there is some NATO official involvement, yet they call the Russians names regarding human rights.
Nah, I don't see WE as clean, only very clever.
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