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Written by Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst
NATO’s never-ending encroachment on Russia’s borders is breaking world records in mere days. Just last week, a new major airbase was opened in Albania, despite the fact that Tirana effectively has no air force. NATO was also given full exterritoriality rights, meaning that Albania officially gave up on its already highly dubious “sovereignty”. Deployment of major ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) and strike platforms in the area can certainly bolster the belligerent alliance’s highly destabilizing presence in both Southeastern and Eastern Europe. And yet, this is not enough. Namely, on March 7, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas confirmed that NATO would also station “Patriot” SAM (surface-to-air missile) systems in his country. While Lithuania doesn’t border mainland Russia, it has an extensive border with Belarus and Moscow’s Kaliningrad oblast (region).
“This year, the rotational air defense system will finally become operational, at least partially,” Anusauskas stated at a press conference in Vilnius, adding: “Our goal is to have a rotation similar to the air policing mission… This principle would not be a one-off thing for several months but would cover all of our calendar months and significantly increase our air defense capabilities.”
While the “Patriot” has been intentionally overhyped by the mainstream propaganda machine, particularly with laughable claims of shooting down “half of the Russian Aerospace Forces in a week”, the move can certainly be considered highly destabilizing. It’s not yet clear how many of these systems could be deployed, but given the much smaller distances that it needs to cover than in Ukraine, deploying the “Patriot” in any of the Baltic states can certainly be more consequential. Namely, the detection range of its AN/MPQ-65 radar (officially 150 km) could provide coverage into the airspace of both Belarus and the Kaliningrad oblast. In addition, Finland is acquiring similar, albeit more advanced air defense assets, including the Israeli “David’s Sling”, which has a significantly longer maximum engagement range. Amassing such SAM systems so close to Russia’s northwest is deeply destabilizing and antagonistic.
While other NATO member states in the relative vicinity of Russia’s borders also operate “Patriot” SAM systems, most notably Romania and (soon) Poland, both of these are far enough not to make the air defense system a strategic issue. On the other hand, other much longer-range weapons, such as the “Aegis Ashore” ABM (anti-ballistic missile) systems, are set to become fully operational in Poland in 2024, while another is already active in Romania (since at least 2016). It’s part of the wider ship-borne “Aegis” system that provides a level of strategic depth that neither the “Patriot” nor “David’s Sling” could. And while the system’s capabilities and effectiveness are certainly up for debate (particularly against Russian hypersonic missiles), the massive increase in their presence is of quantitative importance, which could at least partially ameliorate their qualitative shortcomings and other deficiencies.
And yet, this certainly isn’t the end of NATO’s highly destabilizing activities in Europe. Namely, its vassals and satellite states such as Finland are acquiring the F-35s, while also making it possible to accommodate other jets of the same type from the United States and other NATO member states. The forward presence of USAF F-35s in Eastern and Central Europe keeps expanding and getting ever closer to Russia. Apart from Finland, it now includes Germany, Czechia and Poland, while the Dutch, Belgian and Italian F-35s will also be forward deployed to the area around the Baltic Sea. Worse yet, the jet has been certified to carry thermonuclear weapons, specifically the B61-12 bomb, with several NATO members having the ability to use them through nuclear sharing agreements with the US. This includes the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Italy, all of whom either operate F-35s or have them on order.
Namely, on March 9, the F-35 was confirmed to be certified to carry B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs. Although this refers only to the conventional F-35A, with F-35B and F-35C variants still lacking such capabilities, the latter two are deployed in much smaller numbers. The conventional F-35A is the most common version used by the USAF and other NATO air forces. The possibility of their large-scale deployment in Finland and the Baltic states gives the US premier strike capabilities, far greater than Russia ever had in Cuba 60 years ago.
What’s more, both high-ranking officials in Moscow and independent experts regularly warn about the development of new thermonuclear weapons in America, including the so-called “nuclear super-fuse” technology that the US has been testing for decades, particularly under the Obama administration. Investigative historian Eric Zuesse wrote extensively on the topic.
He has repeatedly been warning that the sole purpose of this controversial technology is to exponentially amplify the effectiveness of America’s first-strike capabilities. And while some might discard Zuesse’s warnings and even decry them as “doom and gloom fantasy” or the mythical “Russian disinformation”, recent developments only reinforce his already sound hypothesis. What’s more, NATO is directly involved in these plans. Back in October last year, the belligerent alliance concluded the “Steadfast Noon” nuclear exercise involving approximately 60 aircraft, including nuclear-capable F-16s and B-52 strategic bombers simulating strikes with B61-12 bombs. It should be noted that these bombs will also be augmented by the upcoming B61-13 variant. And although the nature of this upgrade is classified, it’s safe to assume that they will also include the aforementioned “nuclear super-fuse” technology.
The Pentagon already announced that these new thermonuclear bombs will be comparable to the B61-7 version that can have a yield of up to 340 kt (roughly equivalent to 22-23 Hiroshima bombs). Faced with such escalation, Russia doesn’t exactly have a lot of choice but to be prepared. This is precisely why Russia has been conducting nationwide drills simulating an all-out nuclear attack, as well as its own retaliatory strikes on the aggressors. Earlier, the US FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) conducted similar warning exercises.
the west would not survive 2 hours of a nuclear war
they would survive 2 hours but certainly not 2 months, besides the people in the blast zones. the worst part is all of the fragile supply chain being totally thrown into chaos (who knows how many vehicles still operating) and destruction of trade routes. they have nuclear powered bunkers, and it will much easier for them to rape children in said bunkers, and escape their other crimes. win-win for them.
the rf has stealth subs armed to the teeth with nu-kes all over the oceans of our planet. in case of ww3 these subs would wipe the usa off the face of earth in a matter of minutes. they are in international waters of the atlantic coast and pacific coast. poke the bear and wake up de-ad
maybe global elites don’t give a s*it about the u.s. ? maybe they would say “thank you” to putin to kill all these stupid lazy americans they don’t need ? maybe they opened borders just to be sure if putin allow russia to be wiped of without retaliation strike they can trigger civil war instead and get rid of stupid democrats and republicans anyway ?
do you think there are many countries on the planet that are okay with every square inch of any country being nuked? russia will win a nuke war but they are not going to kill literally everyone.
yes, i think very much so: there are many countries on the planet that are okay with every square inch of any country being nuked: almost all western countries were “okay” with the americans nuking japan. and those who were against it were not “killed”. so slow your roll.
well, if nobody cares what are you waiting for, go press the buttons i won’t stop you.
i am a western civilian who lives in the southern hemisphere, i have no acess to any buttons. and we are not in ww3 yet, but i hope that if it happens, those in the kreml will have the decency and the dignity to protect the “integrity of the russian federation” like it’s written on the russian constitution.
nobody wins a nuclear war—due to size russia would do better than europe and usa
maybe soros&rotschild&zuck&co dont care about people at all? maybe they want them to be killed ? maybe this is the reason why west is not building any nuclear shelters ? maybe this is the reason why rotschilds sold property in switzerland? maybe this is why zuck build mega doomsday personal vault on hawaii? maybe this is why soros bought fields in argentina and he is planting everything you can imagine for his doomsday vaults and for vaults of his “friends”?
the rich thinking that they can retreat into bunkers is foolish. even if you manage to survive you would come out of them into a nightmare world where all your wealth is worthless, all your authority is meaningless, in a brutal struggle for survival on a planet now hostile to life.
nonsense. everybody will die except rotschilds&co
the usa will not able to attack ru because 1-their launchers sites will be destroyed first. 2-their sats will be preemptive destroyed. 3-even in case they manage to somehow miraculously retaliate: ru has systems to jam these nukes. 4-ad force which incl. s-500 and s-550 will be there just waiting the us conventional nukes. among others
so gfy with your “everybody will die” bs
old man rothschild is still dead.
sure they would but devastation would cause those that did to wish they did not
no one can stand it.
but there’s no need to worry about the f-35. they are a completely unfinished overpriced project like the f-22, whose development was stopped when it lost in 5 minutes in a large exercise organized in india to russian mig and su planes.
esto era ya mas que sabido que la otan acerca su infraestructura bélica, con todo tipo de armas defensivas y ofensivas a las fronteras rusas para desestabilizar la paridad estratégica que existía desde la guerra fría. esto le da posibilidades y la justificacion a moscú a desplegar su infraestructura militar, con bases con misiles de crucero e hipersonicos en cuba, nicaragua o venezuela logrando nuevamente está paridad estratégica.
no hay mejor movimiento estrategico y de tablero de ajedrez que rusia instale bases de misiles hipersonicos y de crucero en cuba, nicaragua y venezuela. para esto puede seguir el ejemplo de las bases instaladas en territorio sirio que tienen componentes aéreos y navales y que tanto éxito tuvieron en contener la expansión de occidente en medio oriente.
they should put the military bases in cuba and venezuela, i agree
it’s all a suicide policy and then we have nuclear subs on us and european coast lines. don’t forget the chinese all along us coast and building subs non stop. where does this nonsense stop?
global elites dont care, they want all people die except of them so what is the problem?
global elites who live in the collective west will cease to exist, now remove your tin foil hat basterd
it smells like a war, it looks like a war, so probably it is a war….
btw sf and everybody else miss the crucial point. global nuclear war was not possible 50 years ago because crude and high yield nukes would trigger nuclear winter for 100 years. now, with the precision guided “tactical” warheads it will be “only 10” years so it is very small price for global elites to take over the whole planet. they don’t need servants, they have technologies, automation and they can control them much easier then (sub)humans and their “civilization”.
get out of here flatearther coon
america wants to destroy europe and watch from afar or at least that is what they are hoping for. if war breaks out this time it will reach all the way to the snake in washington dc.
the yankee parasites, like the british and jewish parasites, rely on idiots like europeans and kurds to get away with atrocities. the problem is, when the idiots get struck, they lose their appetite for being a bitch of the west
davos will get nuked too. all western ‘decision makers’ will be toasted with double tap denazification nuclear khinzal pizza delivery.
i am expert on nuclear physics military history and advanced symbolic logic; in a nuclear war denmark would defeat china france russia iran and pygmy special forces
tc’s interview with p was the prelude to a wider conflict, and it did the intended job of showing p as weak and amenable/pliable in the face of threats: thus further emboldening the west.
it’s not about ‘being prepared’ or ‘nuclear drills’ or any other such gibberish. the west would stfu and pull back the ‘nato yap dogs’ the moment p and chums grew backbones. israel too would cower away. but don’t hold your breath.
p’s weakness guarantees ww3.
the problem is that western public is brainwashed. nuclear war was never on tv. nobody in west has seen hiroshima bombing on tv. they never told the public that “tactical” nukes are 40 times stronger then the hiroshima one. they are telling people, that russia is bluffing. and in case of detonating “tactical” nuke all you need to do is close windows, wait couple days and then everything is back to normal. this is the result of goebbels propaganda.
the problem is the intellectual calibre of politicians, media (legacy and the alternative variety) and the so called elites. they have inherited the power without any notion of the responsibility.
nuclear war was on people’s minds from 60s to 80s, yet ironically there was less chance of armageddon then with a strong soviet threat than there is now with russia backing off.
russia’s job is to counterbalance the west’s aggression, but p just can’t accept that crucial role.
what’s in your fallout shelter?
the ability to carry american tactical nuclear weapons is usually cited as the biggest reason for the purchase of american aircraft by nato countries. grippen or rafale would have suited most nato countries just fine, and probably be a lot cheaper too, but they can’t carry american tac nukes, so they are disqualified for purchase.
giving the jewmerican nukes to other countries violates the non-prolifiration treaties the jewnited snakes are signatory to setting a precedent for the russians to do the same supplying nukes to let’s say latin-american countries, e.g. cuba, nicaragua, venezuela to fry the hated gringos when it hits the fan.
even mexicans would gladly nuke the gringos