Authored by Peter Korzun via The Strategic Culture Foundation:
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:
http://theduran.com/azov-sea-flashpoint-russia-ukraine-teetering-on-the-brink-of-war/
Liberteon