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Bruce K. Anderson

~ Security, National Defense and U.S. Interests at Home and Abroad

Bruce K. Anderson

Category Archives: Russia

Judy Dempsey – Russia is Losing Germany

22 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

EU, European Union, Germany, Russia, sanctions, Vladimir Putin

By Judy Dempsey, Strategic Europe, August 21, 2014

A three-page letter that was sent to German parliamentarians on August 18 makes sober reading.

Ostensibly, the letter is about how Europe’s sanctions against Russia and vice versa might affect the German economy. But the real message that Sigmar Gabriel, Social Democrat leader and minister for economic affairs and energy, Wolfgang Schäuble, federal minister of finance, and Christian Schmidt, food and agriculture minister, want to get across is that Germany’s special relationship with Russia is all but over… (more)

 

 

Is Putin this century’s Hitler?

02 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Military and Defense, Russia, Ukraine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Adolf Hitler, Crimea, Nazi Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin

Questionable constitutional changes to gain and retain power, using armed thugs to suppress opposition and critical press, using hate speech against a minority group to divert attention from national problems, and now invading a neighboring sovereign nation to “protect” citizens who claim ethnic ties to his country from their own government – Vladimir Putin has often been compared to Adolf Hitler.

With his current occupation of sovereign Ukraine territory in the Crimean and his likely expansion into the the rest of eastern Ukraine, Putin is inviting more comparisons. Will his own people begin to se him that way? Or will they continue to support him, or at least tolerate him, while he takes pages from the playbook of their most hated enemy of all time?

Is Putin this century’s Hitler?

Here are a couple of recent articles.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/461770/Expert-likens-possible-Putin-action-on-Ukraine-to-Hitler-s-1938-move-on-Czechoslovakia

http://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/op-ed/boris-danik-putins-sudetenland-338092.html

Zapad 13 – Observations and perspective

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Baltic, Baltic region, Baltic States, NATO, Russia, Zapad 2013

English: Zapad-2009 military exercises. Русски...

Zapad-2009 military exercises. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Karlis Neretnieks (Ret MG, Swedish Army) , Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences, October 14, 2013

Russia´s military capabilities are rising fast. The exercise Zapad 2013 clearly shows that the Russian Armed Forces have left the deplorable state they were in some ten years ago, and that the lessons learned from the Georgia conflict in 2008 are being implemented. The new command structure with Strategic Commands and leaner tactical units is being tested. It is not yet perfect, but Zapad 2013 will give valuable lessons…

…Altogether we see a rapidly increasing Russian capability to mount large scale, complex, military operations in its neighbourhood, coordinated with operations in other areas. It would be a mistake to see this just a problem for the Baltic States. It should have implications for most of Russia´s neighbours, and also for other parties interested in the security and stability in the Baltic Sea region…(more)

Related articles

  • Nato war games come at tricky time in EU-Russia relations (euobserver.com)
  • Commanders Discuss NATO-Russian Observations of Military Exercises (news.err.ee)
  • Defense Forces Express Surprise at Scale of ‘Zapad’ (news.err.ee)
  • Meanwhile, Over at the Massive Russian Military Buildup… (news.err.ee)
  • Russia, China Hold Large-Scale War Games (freebeacon.com)
  • Russian War Games on Baltic Border Spark Security Fears (bloomberg.com)

Commentary: NATO and a New Agenda for the Arctic

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Arctic Region, Russia

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Arctic, International security, NATO, Russia

Artificially coloured topographical map of the...

Artificially coloured topographical map of the Arctic region. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Alexander Shaparov, European Dialogue, October 14, 2013

The Arctic region is turning into an area of protracted geopolitical rivalry. This rivalry will not necessarily be expressed in any military confrontation, but rather will take the form of economic, technological and political competition. In this context, the states involved will be ever less prepared to opt for compromise in upholding their national interests within international organizations. NATO’s increasing activity in the Arctic will lead to transfiguration in relations in the area of international security, with new challenges and opportunities emerging for Russia.

The Arctic is becoming a new area of NATO’s influence, an area where security is closely associated with crucially important interests of its member states… (more)

Related articles

  • Putin says Russia will broaden its presence in Arctic region (indrus.in)
  • Colder War: The Militarization of the Arctic (phantomreport.com)
  • Iceland’s president: Arctic crucial to America (globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com)
  • Iceland’s Message to US: Look To the Arctic (climateandsecurity.org)
  • Sweden To Join NATO Response Force (stratrisks.com)

Zapad 2013: the Belarusian and Russian armies’ anti-NATO integration exercises

26 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Baltic Sea, Belarus, Kaliningrad, Military exercise, NATO, Russia, Russian Armed Forces, Steadfast Jazz 2013, Zapad 2013

Russian Army T-90A during a training exercise.

Russian Army T-90A during a training exercise. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Andrzej Wilk, Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), Sept. 25, 2013

On 20-26 September, the active (military) phase of the strategic-level exercises held by the armed forces of Russia and Belarus, entitled ‘West 2013’, were held. This was the largest joint exercise both armies had ever carried out; including the ranges in the western part of Belarus, Kaliningrad and the Baltic Sea, over 22,000 soldiers took part in it. For the Russian army, ‘West 2013’ did not constitute a particular challenge, coming as it did as part of the larger series of exercises arranged in parallel in the Murmansk oblast and the Barents Sea. For the Belarusian army, however, this year’s joint exercises are the biggest undertaking in military training it has carried out for two decades. Above all, ‘West 2013’ was a test of the integration of the Belarusian and Russian armies, and particularly of the former’s ability to act within the norms and structures of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The scenario and nature of the ‘West 2013’ exercises leave no doubt that the Russian/Belarusian forces are training to conduct regular military operations, and their potential opponent is the NATO countries bordering with Russia and Belarus. In political terms, however, we can observe a certain duality in Russia’s approach to NATO. On the one hand – thanks to the information about the exercises reported in media – we see that Moscow is aiming to provoke a negative reaction from its western neighbours. But on the other – from its joint non-military exercises (the ‘Vigilant Sky 2013’ anti-terrorist exercises held in parallel with ‘West 2013’) – it has tried to allay NATO’s concerns regarding the objectives of Russia’s military policy towards Europe… (more)

Related articles

  • Russia, China Hold Large-Scale War Games (freebeacon.com)
  • Meanwhile, Over at the Massive Russian Military Buildup… (news.err.ee)
  • Russian Military Exercise Focuses on Western Nations, Says Reinsalu (news.err.ee)
  • Russian army officers arrive in Belarus for Zapad 2013 exercise (onetruerebel.wordpress.com)
  • Russian paratroopers arrive in Belarus for Zapad-2013 military exercises (indrus.in)

Commentary: Meanwhile, Over at the Massive Russian Military Buildup

25 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Baltics, European News, Russia

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Baltic, Military exercise, NATO, Russia, Russian Armed Forces, Steadfast Jazz, Zapad 2013

English: THE BARENTS SEA. A military exercise ...

A military exercise of the Russian Northern Fleet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Kristopher Rikken, ERR News – Estonian Public Broadcasting, Sept. 25, 2013

With Zapad 2013, Russia’s answer to NATO‘s Steadfast Jazz military exercise, continuing in parts east, ERR News profiles a piece that originally ran on February 13.

One year ago, Russia unveiled a new doctrine: then presidential candidate Vladimir Putin openly avowed an intention to radically expand and upgrade the Russian military. As of February 2013, the country continues to pursue the biggest military buildup in years in its western military district, which is flush up against Baltic borders and already easily the country’s most powerful in conventional military terms…

It’s unclear how much NATO’s own actions are driving the escalation, but only one side (Russia) has mentioned a “pre-war state,” which has drawn a response…

For a year now, the main theme in the Russian military doctrine has been a “prewar situation.”

“It took just three years for the ‘prewar state’ meme to make it from a retired colonel’s interview to a speech delivered by the President to the Federal Assembly… (more)

Related articles
  • Commanders Discuss NATO-Russian Observations of Military Exercises (news.err.ee)
  • Russian Military Exercise Focuses on Western Nations, Says Reinsalu (news.err.ee)
  • HS: Large-scale Russian military exercises begin close to Finland (rusfinrelations.wordpress.com)
  • Russian military exercises trigger Baltic concern (stratrisks.com)

Bloomberg: Russian War Games on Baltic Border Spark Security Fears

24 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Russia

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Baltic, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, NATO, Russia, Soviet Union, Steadfast Jazz, Zapad 2013

Post-Soviet states in alphabetical order: 1. A...

Post-Soviet states in alphabetical order: 1. Armenia, 2. Azerbaijan, 3. Belarus, 4. Estonia, 5. Georgia, 6. Kazakhstan, 7. Kyrgyzstan, 8. Latvia, 9. Lithuania, 10. Moldova, 11. Russia, 12. Tajikistan, 13. Turkmenistan, 14. Ukraine, 15. Uzbekistan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Ott Ummelas & Aaron Eglitis, Bloomberg, Sept. 20, 2013

Baltic officials said regional security had been weakened as Russia led military exercises on their doorstep involving almost 12,000 troops.

A week of land and sea maneuvers dubbed “Zapad 2013,” or “West 2013,” began today as part of biennial exercises with Belarus, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on its website. Troops in both nations tested coordination in destroying “illegal armed formations,” it said.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which regained independence in 1991 after half a century of Soviet rule, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2004 amid Russian opposition. NATO has held exercises in the Baltic region since 2010, while Russia has opened new military bases and deployed more troops on its western border in recent years, according to the defense ministers of Estonia and Latvia… (more)

Related articles

  • Russian war games with 12,000 troops trigger Baltic concern (stripes.com)
  • Commanders Discuss NATO-Russian Observations of Military Exercises (news.err.ee)
  • Russian Military Exercise Focuses on Western Nations, Says Reinsalu (news.err.ee)
  • Defense Forces Express Surprise at Scale of ‘Zapad’ (news.err.ee)
  • Russian paratroopers arrive in Belarus for Zapad-2013 military exercises (indrus.in)
  • HS: Large-scale Russian military exercises begin close to Finland (rusfinrelations.wordpress.com)
  • Verkkouutiset.fi: Russia simulates occupation of Baltic countries (rusfinrelations.wordpress.com)
  • [Photo] Eight Russian combat planes skirted Estonian airspace on their way to huge Zapad 2013 exercise (theaviationist.com)
  • “Immense” Russian – Belarusian military exercise (possibly focused on neutralizing an ethnic unrest) taking place in eastern Europe (theaviationist.com)

Putin orders surprise Black Sea military exercises

28 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Black Sea Fleet, Black Sea Region, Dmitry Peskov, Russia, Sevastopol, Vladimir Putin

A map showing the location of the Black Sea an...

A map showing the location of the Black Sea and some of the large or prominent ports around it. The Sea of Azov and Sea of Marmara are also labelled. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Russian military honor guard welcomes U.S....

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Agence France-Presse (Published on Hurriyet Daily News), March 28, 2013Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered surprise military exercises in the Black Sea region involving 7,000 troops and dozens of ships to test the army’s battle readiness, the Kremlin said.

…

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said 36 ships from the Russian Black Sea Fleet‘s base in the Ukrainian Crimean city of Sevastopol and the Russian port of Novorossiisk would be involved in the exercises… (more)

 

Related articles
  • Russia sending four more warships to Mediterranean Sea near Syria (planet.infowars.com)
  • Russia Sending Permanent Warship Fleet To Mediterranean: Is A Russian Naval Base In Cyprus Coming Next? (zerohedge.com)
  • Russia Plans to Rearm BSF (h16613.com)
  • Baltic Fleet Ships Deliver Weapons Purchased by Syria (currinsnavynews.blogspot.com)
  • Russian Navy Command Plans to Deploy Warships in Mediterranean Sea (h16613.com)

Disagreement on missile defence may tell on Russia-NATO cooperation in other areas

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Missile Defense, NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Russia, Russia-NATO

English: Map of NATO historic enlargement in E...

Map of NATO historic enlargement in Europe. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Turkish Weekly, Feb. 9, 2013

The lack of agreement on missile defence may negatively affect Russia–NATO cooperation in other areas, too, said Russian Ambassador to NATO, Alexander Grushko, in a statement… (more)

Related articles
  • NATO: No Backing Down On Missile Shield (rferl.org)
  • USA Open for Missile Defense Talks with Russia – State Dept (novinite.com)
  • Rasmussen Urges Russia to Be Open With NATO About Baltic Drills (brucekanderson.com)
  • Russia to roll out new hypersonic missiles (indrus.in)
  • U.S. ‘still interested’ in missile defense cooperation with Russia (panarmenian.net)

Rasmussen Urges Russia to Be Open With NATO About Baltic Drills

04 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Baltic region, Belarus, NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Russia, Secretary General of NATO

English: A map of the Baltic region, showing t...

A map of the Baltic region, showing the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Bryan Bradley, Bloomberg, Feb. 1, 2013

Russia should share more information with NATO about military exercises the country conducts in the Baltic region, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

“We don’t have detailed information about upcoming Russian military exercises,” Rasmussen told reporters today in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, when asked about the West 2013 exercise that Russia and Belarus plan in September. “It’s of utmost importance to demonstrate openness and full transparency when it comes to military exercises.” … (more)

Related articles
  • NATO’s Rasmussen Warns Defense Cuts Could Endanger Alliance Power (brucekanderson.com)
  • Rasmussen: NATO Must Be Ready For Any Future Threat (eurasiareview.com)
  • NATO: No Backing Down On Missile Shield (rferl.org)
  • NATO to continue Europe missile plan (rinf.com)
  • NATO chief dismisses Russian missile defense worry (dailystar.com.lb)
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