The
US Is Encouraging Ukraine to go to War With Russia Over the Sea of
Azov
It's
the sea adjecent to Crimea and Donbass
17
September, 2018
Ukraine has
increased its
military presence in the Azov Sea region. Ukraine’s National
Security and Defense Council met on Sept. 7 and agreed to
take a variety of steps to boost the country’s combat capabilities
in the area, including the creation of a missile-equipped naval
infantry group to counter potential amphibious attacks and naval
shore bombardments. Ukraine’s Gurza-M-class
armored artillery boats have been brought in to boost the naval
component of the forces deployed in the region.
Russia
and Ukraine enjoy free use of the Sea of Azov under the
2003 “Agreement
between the Russian Federation and the Ukraine on cooperation in the
use of the sea of Azov and the strait of Kerch.” The document is
in place but it does not specify any precise border. The parties
agree that the Sea of Azov and the Strait of Kerch are the internal
waters of
both Ukraine and Russia.
Talks
have dragged on for a long time but have failed to produce a
solution. Ukraine does not want to recognize Russia’s rights, which
are based on the fact that Crimea has joined the Russian Federation.
Moreover, Ukrainian authorities insist on
their right to detain any ship traveling to or from Crimea without
Kiev’s permission.
Ukraine
is calling for the imposition of international sanctions against
Russian Black Sea ports, due to what it calls the “blockade” of
the Sea of Azov. It has already imposed punitive measures
unilaterally. Tensions have heightened since March, when ships were
detained and searched. On March 24, Ukrainian border guards
stopped the Russian-flagged, Crimean-registered Nord fishing
vessel in the Sea of Azov. The ship was
hijacked.
The crew members reported being interrogated and abused by Ukrainian
authorities who held them accountable under domestic laws, not
recognizing the crew as Russian citizens. The detained sailors were
finally set free to return to Crimea without passports.
Ukraine violated a
number of international agreements and this marked the beginning of a
campaign of provocative actions that has been waged ever since. Last
month, the Russian Mekhanik
Pogodin tanker
was detained in
the Ukrainian port of Kherson. Russia compared the move to the
activities of Somali pirates.
The
US is taking sides in order to ratchet up the tensions. The
State Department has taken a deliberately provocative stance,
urging Ukraine toward confrontation. Without bothering to study the
details, it simply puts the blame on Russia as usual for anything
that goes wrong. Washington is goading Ukraine into seeking a
military solution, including such unrealistic but dangerous ideas
as using
the warships of
NATO’s standing force to protect its shipping lanes, mining the
Azov Sea, or using fast-moving attack vessels to encircle a
large Russian naval asset from all directions like a wolf pack.
This tactic was
invented by German Admiral Karl Dönitz during WWII, when
“wolf packs” of U-boats were used to attack capital ships. The
very fact that such ideas have been generated and are floating around
shows how unwise it is to abet Ukraine by throwing unconditional
support behind it.
Stephen
Blank of the American Foreign Policy Council, a leading US
expert on Russia, believes that the US administration “should
send anti-ship missiles available from or through the US-AGM-84
Harpoon Block II, AGM-158C LRASM A, and the Norwegian Naval Strike
Missile” as
well as “a
viable launch platform and a targeting system, particularly a
radar.” The
author thinks this should be done right now, without delay.
His article was
published on Sept. 7 by the Atlantic Council, the prestigious think
tank that advises the State Department and enjoys great influence
among those who shape US foreign policy. In another article,
Mr. Blanc calls for supplying Ukraine with platforms — older ships
that have been decommissioned or are about to retire. Last
month, Mykola Bielieskov, the Deputy Executive Director at
the Institute of World Policy, called
for fast-track
shipments to Ukraine of the Harpoon Block
II ER+ anti-ship
missile, enabling it to attack Russian vessels. The idea of providing
Ukraine with Island-class coast guard ships is under
consideration by
the US government. On Sept. 1, Kurt
Volker,
US Special Representative for Ukraine
Negotiations, stated that
the US administration “is
ready to expand arms supplies to Ukraine in
order to build up the country’s naval and air defense forces.”
The
powers that be have failed to keep their promises and improve the
lives of ordinary people in Ukraine. The presidential election will
be held in March 2019. A threatening Russian bogeyman is needed to
explain away the failures. The country’s economy and finances are
in the doldrums and corruption is staggering. None of the
problems have been solved and the West is getting tired of Ukraine.
The fairy tale about Moscow’s “aggressive foreign policy” comes
in handy right when the Ukrainian rulers need a scapegoat.
Nobody
needs an armed conflict in the Azov Sea region. A number of countries
are interested in protecting the right of free passage, enabling
vessels to arrive at their destination ports without risk or
delay. The region does not have to be a flashpoint. Russia and
Ukraine could sit down at a round table to discuss controversial
issues, as the 2003 agreement stipulates the parties should do in
order to settle their disputes, should they have any, but that’s
not what the State Department is calling for. The only option the US
administration is considering is that of providing Ukraine with arms
to fight Russia and then egging Kiev on to escalate the tensions. And
those are already dangerously running high. A spark can ignite a big
fire at any time if the problem is not addressed in a positive way
without saber rattling. It’s a pity the US is playing such a
destructive role. The time is right for Russian and Ukrainian experts
and officials to set their differences aside and start talking to
find a peaceful solution to this urgent problem.
Source: Strategic
Culture
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