US Deploys Special Operations Forces To Russia’s Border

Observers during a military exercise involving multiple nations at Camp Adazi in Latvia in 2015. Credit Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Written by Vladimir Rodzianko; Originally appeared at TheDuran

Dozens of United States Special Operations forces are now in the Baltics to counter a fake threat from Russia – what could go wrong?

The Lithuanian government has confirmed the presence of US special forces in the country.

According to the Lithuanian Defence Ministry spokeswoman, Asta Galdikaite, the dozens 0f US forces training Lithuanian special forces would remain there as long as they see Russia as a ‘threat’ or however long they see fit.

From Antimedia.org:

“Supposedly, Vladimir Putin has been deploying nuke-ready missiles in the Russian province of Kaliningrad, an area that borders Poland, Belarus, and Lithuania. This move has prompted the neighboring Baltic states to become “highly concerned” about Russian military activity.

The mainstream media has even dubbed NATO’s recent buildup the alliance’s “biggest military buildup on Russia’s borders since the Cold War.” Even Great Britain will be sending fighter jets, as well as troops to Romania in order to counter Russia in the region.

Speaking at a conference in Sochi, Putin previously said it was “stupid and unrealistic” to think Russia would attack anyone in Europe. His American counterparts are well aware of this but press on with NATO’s expansion, anyway. Why?

Russia has intervened in the Middle East and made the U.S.’ role as both caretaker and destroyer of the Muslim world largely redundant. Russia has been a spectacular caretaker and destructive force in the United States’ place, relentlessly bombing al-Qaeda-affiliated rebels in Aleppo into submission — and killing civilians in the process. Now, there are real hopes that a lasting peace deal might actually form in Syria, a development Washington had no hand in producing.

We’ve all seen this story before, except this time it is being done more overtly as NATO desperately runs out of options.”

Russia has said it would keep short-range ballistic missiles on its border with NATO as Vladimir Putin threatened “counter-measures” against expansion of the alliance. Russia has made it clear that its deployment of missiles is a deterrent against NATO expansion along its borders.

Viktor Ozerov, head of the defence committee in Russia’s upper house of parliament, said nuclear-capable Iskander missiles deployed to Kaliningrad in October would stay there permanently as a response to a military build-up of Nato in eastern Europe.

He said the Iskander and S-400 missiles were in the exclave because of the danger posed by the US defence shield, which went operational in Romania in May and which Washington says is to counter any threat from Iran.

In an interview with Oliver Stone back in November, Putin spoke about NATO’s aggressive expansion,”Why are we reacting to NATO expansion so emotionally? We are concerned by NATO’s decision-making,” he said. “We must take counter-measures, that is, strike with our missile systems the targets that in our opinion begin to threaten us,” Putin said.

NATO will bolster it’s presence in the region even more – this spring they plan to deploy battalions of 800 to 1,200 troops to each of the three Baltic States and Poland.

How president-elect Donald Trump will treat Russia in the coming months is being watched with interest in the West and in Russia, and the latest developments in the Baltics will make his rapprochement with Russia that more difficult.