RIA Novosti reports.
The minister pointed out that he saw an increase in the military threat to Russia in the western direction. According to him, the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance led by the United States
conduct military exercises, increase the number of sorties of strategic aviation and the number of ships equipped with cruise missiles.
The minister pointed out that NATO s actions threaten the existing security system and push Moscow to take adequate countermeasures. Because of this, Shoygu pointed out, Russia has been improving the combat strength of its troops. Having announced plans to create 20 more units in the Western Military District, he clarified that this move was in synch with the supplies of state-of-the-art weapons and equipment.
President Vladimir Putin s Annual Address to the Federal Assembly on April 21 will go down as one of the most significant developments in recent history. He has drawn a red line in the sand that he does not want the West to cross. This will fundamentally change the rules of engagement between Russia and the West. The West can no longer unfairly blame Russia, humiliate it or provoke it without risking grave consequences.
The West has followed a policy of gradually nibbling at the area of Russian influence, and trying to encircle, contain and isolate Russia without risking a direct confrontation with Russia. This policy is based upon calculated and measured risks and predictable and proportionate responses. Putin, in one stroke, changed the rules of the game. Russia has gone on the offensive. If Russia perceives a threat to its security, then it will decide what should be the response. This response can be completely unpredictable and un-proportional as far as the West is concerned.
World War III: If Russia Invaded the Baltics NATO Couldn t Stop Them
But if the Baltics have really been so vulnerable for so many years, why is it that the Russians have yet to attack?
Is NATO able to fend off a large-scale Russian invasion of the Baltic states? No, according to most experts.
A 2016 RAND Corporation report, “Reinforcing Deterrence on NATO’s Eastern Flank,” conducted a series of wargames simulating a Russian assault on the Baltic states. The report reached an “unambiguous” conclusion: Russia’s Western Military District (WMD) can steamroll NATO’s most vulnerable members at a moment’s notice, reaching the outskirts of Tallinn or Riga the capitals of Estonia and Latvia, respectively in sixty hours or less.
An article published in the journal of the Ministry of Defense Aerospace Forces. Theory and Practice says that the updated approach will provide guaranteed protection against a possible NATO multi-sphere operation.
The article clarifies that a multi-sphere operation, which will begin with an integrated massive air strike against strategic targets, means the use of weapons on land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.
In order to prevent such a development of events, the authors of the article suggest that the Aerospace Forces should launch a counter or preemptive strike so that the enemy would face unacceptable damage right at the initial stage of aggression.
USA withdraws from the treaty first
In November of 2020, the United States officially pulled out from the Open Skies Treaty. Before the move, Washington had repeatedly accused Russia of non-compliance with the agreement. In particular, the Americans claimed that Russia restricted flights over the Kaliningrad enclave, as well as in the ten-kilometer corridor along the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
In 2014, a campaign was launched in the United States to restrict inspection flights of Russian aircraft. The Americans in particular said that the new Russian aircraft were outfitted with more advanced digital equipment that enabled them to obtain more information vs. the volume of information that American aircraft collected when flying over Russia.