There is a growing unease in United States and Britain about Russia progressing in achieving "Eurasian Union" of former Soviet republics along the lines of the European Union under Vladimir Putin .Britain has warned that Russia is the biggest threat to UK's security since the end of the Cold War.Drawing similarities with the 1914 First World war,
UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson has equated Moscow to North Korea after Russia has threatened to unleash nuclear war.Due to the Russians’ presence in the Mediterranean region and the Kremlin’s “increased assertiveness,” it is time Britain gets stronger, he said.This comes just a week after Britain ordered ships to pass the disputed South China Sea, much closer to the Chinese coast than the white cliffs of Dover.
General Nicholas Carter has also warned that Britain will be unable to preempt or respond to Russian aggression unless its military capabilities are overhauled to match Moscow's military capabilities.
Since 2000,Putin has been Russia's most powerful man after the resignation of Boris Yeltsin, holding positions of both prime minister and president and had been consistently working to achieve superpower status for Moscow and global hegemony equivalent to US.
The West became cautious of Puin moves after the Russian seizure of Crimea in March 2014, followed by its annexation.UK former defence secretary, Sir Michael Fallon issued calls for increased defence spending, citing growing threats from Russia and cyber-attacks.
Fallon admitted that Britain has all the evidence of Putin’s intent to subvert western democracies, from the Netherlands to Montenegro,from Germany to even the United States.”“Through cyber, our enemies can target us anywhere on the planet: not only stealing our information, but exploiting us, coercing us, disrupting our energy supplies, our armaments, even our governments. Almost anybody can become a cyber-warrior: a laptop and some smart software can inflict enormous financial and physical damage on individuals and entire countries.”
To establish foothold in Middle East, Russia has significantly increased its military operations to Syria.Taking forward the geopolitical and ideological idea ,Putin called for the Eurasian Movement of the Russian Federation,and said that there is a unique “Eurasian” civilization in Russia and its neighbors, distinct from both East and the West.
To pursue his goal, Putin clinched free trade pacts with countries to form Eurasian Union.The Russian leader is aggressively trying to achieve Eurasian integration process due to many common factors binding Russia and the European countries together : common history, geographical proximity, massive amounts of trade, etc.But confrontation is most likely between Russia and Europe.
The tensions between Russia and the West escalated after Russia air force purchased 10 of the strategic TU-160M nuclear bombers,codenamed Blackjacks by NATO.The TU-160M worth 15 billion rubles ($269 million) is capable of carrying 12 cruise missiles or 12 short-range nuclear missiles and can fly 7,500 miles non-stop without refuelling.US, UK and Europe are worried over Putin standing for re-election on March 18 – a poll showing he is likely to win.
Russia has deployed over 330,000 soldiers on its western border while NATO has stationed biggest military build-up on Moscow's borders since the cold war.Moreover,Russia carried out simulated attack exercises across northern Europe, from Kaliningrad to Lithuania,as part of a new tactic in exploiting the gray areas between peace and war.
Talking about the military hardware,Britain fighter jets are stationed in Romania,US anks,troops,artillery has been deployed in Poland to counter the Russian warships armed with cruise missiles in Baltic Sea.
An armada of Russian ships from the Baltic Fleet have been dispatched from Baltiysk naval base, in Kaliningrad Oblast, for large scale military exercises.Sweden, whose eastern coast borders the Baltic Sea, is issuing the advise for the first time since 1961 – the height of the Cold War.
U.S. National Security Strategy released by Trump’s national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster states Russia and China are “revisionist” powers, genuine geopolitical rivals to the United States that “challenge American power, influence and interests,” while “attempting to erode American security and prosperity.”
Russia military has been deeply engaged in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine since April 2014,where fighting has claimed 10,000 lives. The United States, European Union and other Western countries are continuing to put political and economic pressure on the Kremlin.Putin’s Russia is active today. “Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus, and Ukraine—he is either trying to get those countries back into his realm .
Washington approved for the first time lethal weapons sales to Ukraine in its fight against Russian-backed militias and the announcement of a new U.S. sanctions list that targets Russians such as the Kremlin-appointed strongman in Chechnya.
Russia denounced the American strategy document as an “imperialist” relic of a delusional superpower that persisted in acting unilaterally on the world stage.
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