The Ocean Grand, a cargo ship carrying two Coast Guard patrol boats provided by the United States to Ukraine as part of military cooperation, arrives at the Port of Odessa in the Black Sea on the 23rd (local time). Odessa | AFP Yonhap News
Tensions between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, including the United States, are on the rise as news of Russia’s large-scale mobilization of troops near the border with Ukraine is known. Although intelligence officials predicted that the possibility of an actual war was not high, military movements are being detected in the area near the Ukrainian border.
According to the AP and Reuters on the 23rd (local time), the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which was rumored to be a Russian invasion, said that it conducted an air force exercise, including an airstrike, at a training ground in the south on the same day. Two patrol boats sent by the U.S. to the Ukrainian navy are said to have arrived in the southern port of Odessa.
Earlier, when it became known that Russia had assembled 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine, rumors of a Russian invasion of Ukraine were raised in the international community early next year. The US criticized Russia, and Russia countered that the US was “overreacting.” Russia also protested on the same day, saying the move by the US to send more weapons to Ukraine would only escalate tensions.
Based on the opinions of officials from Western intelligence agencies and sources familiar with the Russian government, Reuters analyzed that the likelihood of the incident turning into a real war is not high. It should be interpreted as a signal that Russia is serious about securing a ‘red line’ for Ukraine. Ukraine’s recent attempts to join NATO have been viewed by Russia as a red line and a major security threat.
However, the United States and Russia are expected to rally their allies in the future and continue a nerve war over Ukraine. The U.S. added Russian companies and ships to the sanctions list on the same day in connection with the ‘Nordstream 2’ project, a project to connect a natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. During a meeting with the Chinese defense minister, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu emphasized the strengthening of bilateral military cooperation against the US threat. He also claimed that “10 U.S. strategic bombers practiced firing nuclear weapons at Russia during the ‘Global Thunder’ exercise.”
Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Valery Gerasimov, chief of staff of the Russian Armed Forces, had a phone call on the same day to discuss security issues. The Pentagon did not disclose details of the conversation, calling it “an ongoing communication between the two leaders to ensure risk reduction and avoid operational conflicts.” The Russian Ministry of Defense also explained that it was only discussing ‘current issues related to international security’.
.
