NATO would respond militarily to Crimea-style infiltration: general.

BERLIN (Reuters) - If Russia tries to infiltrate troops into a NATO country, even out of official military uniform as it did before it annexed Ukraine's Crimea, NATO will respond militarily, the alliance's top commander said in an interview published on Sunday.

Well there it is! If Russia moves into the Ukraine the crap will really hit the fan.

news.yahoo.com...

U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said although NATO had no plans to intervene in non-NATO member Ukraine, NATO countries in eastern Europe needed to start preparing for a possible threat from "little green men" - referring to soldiers in unmarked uniforms.

Ukraine is still a non NATO country.

Double

a reply to: nighthawk1954

Stay calm, things already hitting the fan in many subjects. And Russian didn't enter in Ukrane (officialy) and probably won't.

a reply to: snowspirit

That's true Ukraine is not a member. The NATO statement was towards nations like Baltics mainly. Russia has been living with them in NATO for more than a decade now, so no big deal. They hold little strategic importance. Ukraine is much more crucial in the geopolitical issues.

a reply to: snowspirit
Yes, NATO has no obligations to help Ukraine. The fear factor for Russia is the potential to be economically destroyed by the EU. There is a limit to how Russia's economy would grow when only trading with Belarus and China. Putin would not last the collapse of the Russian economy.

The economic threat is enough to temper any ambition Putin has to retain the loyalty of that fickle friend, Ukraine. The die has been cast and Ukraine wants a future aligned to the richer and freer West.

On the OP though, if Russia tried something sneaky in Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania then they should expect no mercy from NATO. That's perhaps what was being stated.

Regards

a reply to: paraphi

Richer, Freer West? Are you kidding?
All countries in the West are in catastrophic economic collapse, engineered by the same people pushing war down our throats and ramping up the rhetoric against Russia.
Freer? Free to do whatever we want, as long as we pay our taxes and don't oppose the government. Free to be watched, recorded and generally monitored every day of our lives. Free to be second class citizens to the corporate and banking elites that own us.

a reply to: paraphi

The die has been cast and Ukraine wants a future aligned to the richer and freer West.

What Ukraine ?? These fascists come from the western bulge region near the Poland and Hungary border. This region comprises of merely 20% of the map which was once a part of Austrio-Hungarian empire with area known as Galicia.

People from these region are more than welcome to take that part and make their Galician Republic. Even there is a small chunk of Carpethia region which wants to break away and join Russia.

Rest of the map is fit to become NovoRossiya. People are different, language is different, religion is different, affinities are different. Galician origin people do not have any right to command over others.

Just because their grandparents polished the boots of the German SS, that does not mean they will hold any rights over the rest of the people. They can take their fascist leanings and go to hell.

Russia WILL MAKE sure of that !!

Yeah an attack on any NATO nation is an attack on them all. However considering how poory Russias attempt at a rebellion has gone Ukraine I do not think they will even consider pulling that in a NATO nation. If the rebels could find no support from the locals in Ukraine they sure are not going to find it in a place like Estonia. And as we all know any rebellion is going to be short lived that does not have the backing of the local population.

Why not leave Russia to take Ukraine?

After all - it seems that the US is fine with Israel stealing The West Bank and the Gaza Strip?

a reply to: MrSpad

What more can local people in third world do than to provide food and shelter and may be some transportation. They even cooperated with the referendum giving more than 80% of the votes in favor. Reportedly there are 10s of thousands of battle hardened Chechens (alone) willing to come over and help the rebels. So battle field support from locals is not needed in many a sense. A Russian Oligarch declaring $100K to family of any fighter killed and $50K to family of badly wounded and the number will swell to more than 100K very easily.

Bad planning was from Russian sources which first did not even provide heavy weapons to rebels until the first week of July. Even now, we see 90% of rebel fighters without any body armor or even a helmet. Forget about the battlefield medical kit that reduces KIA by 50%. Loss of blood is the main factor.

The Junta gained strong momentum from beginning due to AKs trying to stand up against the tanks. Until Slaviansk fell, the Russian sources were just running the same attitude of "cannon foddering" the soldiers who were ill or barely trained to begin with.

Even now pinpoint rocket assaults from Russia upon the Junta forces concentrated around Donetsk can change lots of scenarios in the favor of the rebels. Recent victories in southern areas were a result of heavy artillery pounding from the Russian side and then rebels followed the mop up.

originally posted by: victor7
a reply to: MrSpad

What more can local people in third world do than to provide food and shelter and may be some transportation. They even cooperated with the referendum giving more than 80% of the votes in favor. Reportedly there are 10s of thousands of battle hardened Chechens (alone) willing to come over and help the rebels. So battle field support from locals is not needed in many a sense. A Russian Oligarch declaring $100K to family of any fighter killed and $50K to family of badly wounded and the number will swell to more than 100K very easily.

Bad planning was from Russian sources which first did not even provide heavy weapons to rebels until the first week of July. Even now, we see 90% of rebel fighters without any body armor or even a helmet. Forget about the battlefield medical kit that reduces KIA by 50%. Loss of blood is the main factor.

The Junta gained strong momentum from beginning due to AKs trying to stand up against the tanks. Until Slaviansk fell, the Russian sources were just running the same attitude of "cannon foddering" the soldiers who were ill or barely trained to begin with.

Even now pinpoint rocket assaults from Russia upon the Junta forces concentrated around Donetsk can change lots of scenarios in the favor of the rebels. Recent victories in southern areas were a result of heavy artillery pounding from the Russian side and then rebels followed the mop up.

Local support is everything. Even a small poorly armed rag tag group can last for years if the local population supports them. They provide rebels intelligence, allow them to hide in plain sight, transport supplies, lots of manpower, and allow the rebels to operate against the enemies weak spots. It is impossible to root rebels out of place where the locals support and hide them. The problem for the rebels in Ukraine is the locals did not support them. And to make matters worse they were stealing everything they could as they passed though these places. The rebels are done. Either the locals never supported them or their actions were so deplorable that they turned them against them.

a reply to: MrSpad

All the support mentioned is already there.

Why is Kiev Junta calling August 18th as the day when rebels will leave Donetsk? It is because the situation has gotten bad for Junta forces. Kiev Junta will offer cease fire and try to look good but DPR will reject it now as their cease fire was rejected a week ago.

2-3 broken Brigades and several battalions of Junta are under encirclement in two separate areas. Russian artillery should cooperate now and start bombing them heavily. Either these encircled forces surrender or perish. These are elite brigades and much was expected of them. It is highly unlikely they will surrender and thus fight till the ammo has run out. So they be ready for some heavy bombing and eventual destruction. Rebels won't be waiting for prizes this time as once this theater is taken care of, they will commit the forces in the Northern areas.

Then Russia can also openly bring in its artillery, armor and rockets inside Ukraine under rebels and relieve pressure on the northern side of Donetsk, where currently its artillery cannot reach.

Kiev Junta cannot commit reserves to Donbass region as that will put Kiev in danger. They cannot operate their air forces due to Russian air defense missiles and rebel MANPADs. Junta is hoping for one last punch to take Donetsk and Luhansk. Even if they get a portion of these cities, their forces will face Afghanistan and perish slowly.

Next two days will be crucial.

RUSSIA WANTS THAT PORT,they don't want a fight. We are just exposed by our absent foreign policy and Putin said 'What the hell.." NO other country WANTS to fight us in a war and Ukraine must decide OUTSIDE of western influence what THEY want.
My troops won't fight for UKRAINE without a bullwark of allies in there as well,PUTIN is not stupid he won't do it.But the base is HIS now,THAT he will fight for I bet.

a reply to: victor7

Victor aren't you worried about a Muslim group getting a foothold in your territory?
I really don't WANT to be the nasty American talking down the ISLAMIC faith by that, just, I am curious to see what YOU think?

a reply to: cavtrooper7

What muslim group getting a foothold? Chechens are much reformed now. Chechnya is strongly growing region economically.

originally posted by: victor7
a reply to: cavtrooper7

What muslim group getting a foothold? Chechens are much reformed now. Chechnya is strongly growing region economically.

Well it helps that the ones prone to violence are being recruited into Islamic rebel/terrorist groups and turning their attention to lands far from their own

a reply to: nighthawk1954

Ukraine is not a NATO country.

Most of the info I have seen over here is too heavily propagandized about Chechnya,the "RIGHT wing" are good at that. Unlike the "left wings" who we read about LEAKING all the time( Hard to say good or bad anyway now) I can't even tell about how you fuctioned MILITARILY in a logical manner it so pathetic. We in the 80s had the "Green Book" that trumped up the russians as mechanized like us ruthless and seeking to control the world.
In fact I THINK WE are the nastiest war creature there is and equally so we have been use against mankind as a bookie's enforcer.
As a people THEY HAVE TO LIE to us because we (Russia and the US)would be united if they didn't. It's only logical. But WE for the most part only saw the Communists not the people. And YOU re no doubt aware of OUR crimes in finance. NOW we have the internet so I can say I am NOT interested in taking over RUSSIA. In fact YOU need pioneers to development the vast reaches of Russia and tech.

originally posted by: victor7
a reply to: cavtrooper7

What muslim group getting a foothold? Chechens are much reformed now. Chechnya is strongly growing region economically.

Dagestani are all happy to be Russian too I suppose.