MONDAY, 28 FEBRUARY, 2022 (GPN): Russia fearing threat that it will be issolated from the Black Sea and will be covered from all sides by opposite alliance countries should Ukraine get’s listed with Nato started it’s Anti-Ukraine operations by 2014.Nato was caught unawares by Moscow’s sudden and unorthodox military campaign in 2014 when Russian troops crossed into Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea. The international army alliance is keen to avoid a repeat performance now that Russian troops have once again massed at the Ukrainian border. A high level of armed conflict in Nato vs Russia that would involve many of the world’s most potent military forces was being avoided by the two sides.

Ukraine’s separation from the Soviet Union and ties with NATO are at the root of the current tensions. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NATO moved eastward to include Baltic republics such as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, which were originally part of the Soviet Union. As a result, NATO, which was formed to fight the Soviet Union, drew closer to Moscow, bordering it directly.

The Putin administration was at loggerheads with his western rivals over Russia’s relations with Ukraine since 2014. Vladimir Putin announced an attack on Donbas and called on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to lay down its weapons early on Thursday morning, but a war against Ukraine has already begun. As NATO allies, the US, UK, and other NATO countries have warned Russia’s president against following the same expansionist policies that upset the region in 2014.

Today is the 5th day of the war. In morning, blasts were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the major city of Kharkiv, according to Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv Ukraine’s Capital City has sent a delegation of officials for talks “without preconditions” with Moscow at the Ukraine-Belarus border.On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, one of its neighbours to the southwest. Early reports declared it the largest conventional warfare operation in Europe since World War II.
The European Union approves the closure of its airspace to Russian aircraft as well as further sanctions, including the exclusion of some Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system.
Russian President Vladimir Putin puts Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert.
Kharkiv governor says Ukrainian troops have full control of the country’s second-largest city after street fighting with Russian forces.Kyiv’s mayor says the city is encircled, making evacuations impossible.More than 360,000 people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s assault, the UN says.

The Russian ruble has weakened sharply by 10% but was steady early today at 83.86 to the dollar.Japan joined moves by the U.S. and Western nations to impose sanctions on Russia, including blocking some Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system.
The White House has announced that US President Joe Biden will hold a call with Western allies and partners on Monday at 11.15am ET to discuss developments regarding Russia’s attack on Ukraine and to coordinate a united response.As per The Kyiv Independent, Russia used Iskander missile systems to attack Zhytomyr Airport in Ukraine. The air strikes were conducted from Belarus, using Russian ballistic missile launchers. Earlier, Belarus said it wouldn’t allow air strikes from its territory amid Ukraine’s upcoming peace talks with Russia.The world’s largest cargo aircraft, the Antonov #AN225, has been destroyed at Hostomel Airport outside Kyiv. Designed in the 1980s, it is the longest and heaviest aircraft ever built.

The term NATO is also known as the North Atlantic entanglement. The full name of NATO is North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The main purpose of this term is to guarantee the safety and freedom of its members by political and military means. The headquarters of NATO is located in Brussels, Belgium. It was established in 1949 in Washington. Regarding any joint action, NATO says that it ‘committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes.

There are total 30 countries in NATO. There are a total of 27 countries in Europe, one country in Eurasia, and only 2 in North America.

COUNTRIES LISTED IN NATO:
Canada (1949)
Croatia (2009)
France (1949)
Germany (1955)
Greece (1952)
Hungary (1999)
Czech Republic (1999)
Denmark (1949)
Estonia (2004)
Albania (2009)
Belgium (1949)
Bulgaria (2004)
Iceland (1949)
Luxembourg (1949)
Montenegro (2017)
Netherlands (1949)
Italy (1949)
Latvia (2004)
Lithuania (2004)
North Macedonia (2020)
Norway (1949)
Poland (1999)
Slovakia (2004)
United Kingdom (1949)
Portugal (1949)
Romania (2004)
United States (1949)
Slovenia (2004)
Spain (1982)
Turkey (1952)

NATO is considered the most powerful alliance in the whole world. But an alliance is based on its 30 allied and their partner nations to support missions and operations. Through this alliance, all the employees work in a group to fulfill any purpose. But NATO does not have its own armed forces. But it has a permanent unified military command structure. by which civilians and the military of all member states work together.
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe [SACEUR] coordinates all forces. After the completion of any mission or operation, all the forces return to their respective countries.NATO military power since 1949 till today has about 3.5 million soldiers, personnel.

NATO’s main objective politically is to build trust and solve the problems of all the members. If due to any reason the diplomatic efforts fail, then in that situation he has the military power to undertake crisis management operations.
Recently in Covid 19 crisis Nato raised field hospital for medical help for all the patients suffering from the corona virus. NATO is seen as number one for helping in any crisis or disaster happening all over the world. If any country participates in a NATO operation, all member countries cover all costs.

Why is NATO so concerned about the situation between Russia and Ukraine? To understand this, we must go back to the time when NATO was formed.

What is NATO?

NATO is a military alliance made up of the United States, Canada, France, and eight other European countries that was founded in 1949. NATO currently has 30 members, with 27 from Europe, two from North America, and one from Eurasia.

The key purpose of NATO’s formation was to create a “collective defence” against any potential German or Soviet Union attack in the aftermath of World War II. If a NATO member attacks another member, it is considered as ‘an attack on all NATO members’, according to its Article 5.

It uses a collective security system in which its independent member nations pledge to mutual defence in the event of an external attack. It may also form alliances with outside forces.

Who controls NATO?

The Military Committee, NATO’s highest military authority, is in charge of NATO’s Command Structure (NCS), which is made up of the Chiefs of Defense of all twenty-nine member countries. Allied Command Operations (ACO) and Allied Command Transformation (ACT) are the two strategic commands that make up the NCS (ACT).

Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but had a long-standing intention of joining. This is a sore issue for Russia, which views NATO as a danger and opposes the move strongly.

Why is Ukraine not a member of NATO?

Ukraine is formally not a member of NATO, but it has long wished to join. In 2002, Ukraine’s former president, Leonid Kuchma, indicated interest in joining NATO. The main goal was to strengthen the military’s support.

It is, however, one of the “enhanced opportunity partners” of the body. Non-member countries are granted this status, that have “made important contributions to NATO-led operations and missions,” such as Australia, are accorded this status.

A new country should be unanimously approved by Nato members, with issues such as “unresolved external territorial conflicts” being taken into account. Nato formed a Ukraine-Nato commission in 1997, which allowed for discussions on security matters and allowed the Nato-Ukraine relationship to progress without a formal membership agreement.

Nato’s support is restricted without membership. It does not, for example, commit to sending troops to non-member countries. It has, however, dispatched troops to neighbouring nations and expressed public support for Ukraine.

What does Russia want from NATO?

Ukraine’s separation from the Soviet Union and ties with NATO are at the root of the current tensions. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NATO moved eastward to include Baltic republics such as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, which were originally part of the Soviet Union. As a result, NATO, which was formed to fight the Soviet Union, drew closer to Moscow, bordering it directly.

In 2008, NATO announced that it intended to enlist Ukraine at some point in the future. Because of the European Union’s increased weapons, training, and people backing for Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin sees it as a direct threat to Russia’s power in the east.

“Russia cannot stop Ukraine from getting closer with NATO and has no right to have any say in relevant discussions,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

Russia’s complaints of NATO have been particularly strident. Satellite photographs from November 2021 revealed a build-up of 1,00,000 Russian troops and heavy military equipment around Ukraine’s borders. Russia issued an eight-point draft security pact for NATO by the end of December 2021.

The proposal included conditions such as prohibiting Ukraine from joining NATO, limiting NATO’s future expansion, and prohibiting drills in the region, among others.

Talks on the draft failed repeatedly, escalating tensions between the ex-Soviet neighbours. “Vladimir Putin reiterated the need for the United States and NATO to take Russian demands for security guarantees seriously,” the Kremlin said in a statement. The Russian Federation’s Government is referred to as the Kremlin.

NATO’s response to Russia’s Demand

The US and its allies initially formally rejected Russia’s demands that NATO withdraw from Eastern Europe and ban Ukraine from ever joining the alliance, but they identified numerous areas where they were willing to talk, including nuclear arms control and limits on military exercises.

President Putin was given a choice in the written responses, which were issued separately by the Biden administration and NATO: enter negotiations with Washington and its allies, including Ukraine, or proceed with an invasion and face what the administration claims will be crippling economic sanctions.

NATO’s presence on its eastern European border?

Nato already has troops stretching from the Baltic countries in the north to Romania in the south. They were stationed there after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and their purpose is to act as a “tripwire” in the case of a Russian attack. It has naval vessels patrolling the eastern Mediterranean and “air policing” planes along its Russian border.

In Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, Nato maintains four multinational battalion-size battlegroups, as well as a multinational brigade in Romania. France has also offered to head a future Nato operation in Romania, which might include 1,000 troops from a variety of nations. Nato might send up to 40,000 troops from the Nato Response Force to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia to form additional battlegroups.

The US has also pledged to send extra troops to the region, although President Biden has stated that they will be defending current Nato territory rather than fighting in Ukraine.