The chances of a total NATO conflict with Russia are increasingly increasing, as the umbrella on the front lines of the conflict is constantly opening.
One front is the invasion of Russian forces and the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin used NATO expansionist policy and the possibility of Ukraine joining the Alliance as an excuse for invading, in conjunction with the alleged action of far-right groups in the Russian-speaking region of Donbass.
A second front that is conceived and manifested will cause even greater tension, dramatically increasing the chances of a wide-ranging conflict, are Finland and Sweden. The two Nordic countries directly expressed their intention to join NATO, upgrading their relations with the North Atlantic Alliance to a formal level. Moscow has repeatedly said that “there will be unpredictable consequences” if the relationship between Stockholm and Helsinki develops with NATO, as Vladimir Putin’s logic is based on the idea of ​​having no NATO countries on its borders.
The above two fronts are not the only ones. The Kremlin is opening a third front, which, at this stage, is the Arctic. Moscow considers the region as its own territory, which seems to have strategic deposits and “secrets” that can upset the balance. According to the international agency Reuters, Russia told NATO that its activity in the Arctic region is “worrying” and is likely to have “unforeseen consequences”.
As reported by the Russian agency TASSthe Russian ambassador Nikolai Korchunov He said on Sunday that “the recent increase in NATO activity in the Arctic is a cause for concern. Another large-scale military exercise by the Alliance recently took place in northern Norway. “From our point of view, these actions do not contribute to the security of the region.”
According to Korchunov, activities like this increase the risk for “Unforeseen consequences”, which in combination with the security risk, can cause serious damage to the Arctic ecosystem. The Russian ambassador did not specify what the incident was.
Zelensky: We will not hand over Eastern Ukraine
He sends a clear message to Vladimir Putin Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyin a new interview with CNN.
The Ukrainian president said he was determined not to cede territory from eastern Ukraine to Russia and that the Ukrainian army would fight with all its might to resist.
In his interview to journalist Jake TapperZelensky told the office of the Kiev presidential palace that his country has no guarantee of Russia’s future intentions and whether Moscow will try to re-occupy Kyiv if it manages to win in Donbas. “That is why it is very important for us not to allow them to occupy our positions, because this battle can affect the course of the whole war,” Zelensky said. “Because I do not trust the Russian military leadership and the leaders of Russia,” he added.
“That is why we understand that the fact that we fought and expelled them, that we made them run away from Kyiv and Chernihiv, does not mean that if they conquer Donbass, they will not return to Kyiv.”stressed the Ukrainian president.
Volodymyr Zelensky once again stated that he does not trust some of the European leaders, as they have said a lot in the past, but have not acted. In fact, he linked the situation in Ukraine to the Holocaust, on the anniversary of which European leaders declare “never again”, but in his country, while it happens again, they do nothing to prevent it.
“I do not believe in the world. After what is happening in Ukraine, I can not trust some Europeans or countries. We do not believe the words. After the invasion of Russia, we do not trust our neighbors. “We do not believe in any of this,” he said.
“I also do not believe the documents, because we already have the Budapest memorandum. “For me it is a piece of paper and nothing more,” he added.
“If you are our friends or partners, give us weapons, give us money and stop Russia, hit Russia. “You can do it, if you are our friends,” Zelensky said, reiterating his call for an international response on the battlefield against Russian invading forces.
Kyiv: We will not surrender to Mariupol
The Ukrainian soldiers will not surrender to Russiasaid Odessa MP Oleksi Godarenko.
“I spoke to them yesterday and I know they will fight to the end,” he said.
Respectively, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andriusenko, told the Telegram that despite the “delivery corridorOf Russia for the remaining troops in the city, «our defenders continue to hold the defense».
He added that hostilities from Russia are not limited to the Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian soldiers are said to reside.
«During the fighting, the occupiers again bombarded homes with heavy artillery“, he said.
It is noted that yesterday Moscow gave ultimatum to the remaining Ukrainian forces who strongly resist for the defense of Mariupol to surrender their weapons in order to save their lives.
The defenders of the city – which Moscow claims are both Ukrainians and 400 mercenaries from Europe and Canada – have been excluded from the Azovstal steel plant.
«Taking into account the catastrophic situation at the Azovstal metallurgical plant and for purely humanitarian reasons, the Russian armed forces offer the fighters of the nationalist battalions and foreign mercenaries the opportunity to abandon hostilities and lay down their arms from 06:00, of 17 April 2022“, States the announcement of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
However, the Ukrainians have not given any sign that they intend to accept the offer.
In this context, according to the Ukrainian staff, Russian Marine brigades “preparing for a paratrooper operation»In Mariupol, while attacks took place in the area of ​​the port.
The international media report that after continuous bombing of Mariupol for a period of six weeks, there are indications that Russia is close to complete occupation of the strategic port of the Azov Sea.
In fact, commenting on the situation in Mariupol, he spoke of “a real genocide»And estimated that about 100,000 civilians were in the city.
According to him, it is estimated that “More than 20,000 people” have been killed in the besieged port city.
For his part, o Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the situation in Mariupol is “inhumanAnd called the allies to provide heavy weapons to save the city from Russian forces.
He clarified that the destruction of Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol will end peace talks to end the warmy.
Images from the area provided by the Associated Press is indicative of the barbarity displayed by the Russians in order to occupy the city.
Another photo shows piles of civilians on the ground near the Illich Iron & Steel Works Metallurgical Plant.
In the same area, burned cars and facilities reflect the magnitude of the disaster.
Why Mariupol is so important to Putin
But why is Mariupol so important to Russia’s plans? BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner analyzes the reasons:
1. Securing a land corridor between Crimea and Donbass
Geographically, Mariupol occupies only a small area on the map, but stands an obstacle to Russian forces from the Crimean peninsula. The occupation of the city will allow Russia to build a land bridge from Russia to Crimeaa major strategic and military success.
2. Strangulation of the Ukrainian economy
Mariupol is the largest port in the Sea of ​​Azov and hosts an important iron and steel factory. It was also a major export hub for Ukraine’s steel, coal and corn. Her loss would be one significant blow to what is left of the Ukrainian economy.
3. Opportunity for propaganda
Mariupol hosts one Ukrainian militia unit called the Azov Brigade, which includes far-right extremists, historically including neo-Nazis. Although they are only a fraction of Ukraine’s fighting forces, this would be a useful propaganda tool for Moscow. If Russia manages to captures several fighters of the Azov Brigade alivemay parade in Russian state-controlled media to discredit the Ukrainian government.
4. Significant morale boost
President Vladimir Putin considers the shores of the Black Sea in Ukraine to belong to something called Novorossiya (New Russia) – Russian territories dating back to the 18th century empire.
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