On Tues of this week AlertsUSA subscribers were notified via SMS messages to their mobile devices of an announcement of plans to deploy U.S. soldiers to Ukraine to train and advise Ukrainian forces. Specifically, within weeks the U.S. is set to deploy 600 members of the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based out of Vicenza, Italy, to within 600 miles of the war-torn eastern region of the country to work with 3 full battalions of Ukrainian soldiers.
According to U.S. Army Europe Commander Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, “We’ll train them in security tasks, medical tasks, how to operate in an environment where the Russians are jamming communications and how to protect themselves from Russian and rebel artillery.”
For the uninitiated, these training descriptions are boiler plate material. There is a high likelihood training objectives will far exceed these publicly stated objectives.
MOSCOW: ARMS TO UKRAINE A DECLARATION OF WAR
Readers will recall that last week Threat journal reported on increasing calls by Congress for President Obama to provide lethal aid to Ukraine. In response, the Moscow Times ran a story this week within which a spokesman for the Russian defense ministry said the move would be seen by the Kremlin as a declaration of war and would spark a global escalation. The unnamed spokesman warned that Moscow would not only up the ante in eastern Ukraine, but “also respond asymmetrically against Washington or its allies on other fronts.”
The source went on to say that one possible avenue of asymmetrical retaliation could be to give in to long-standing Chinese requests for sensitive defense technologies that would aid in its development of high-tech weapons capable of doing serious damage to U.S. naval forces in the Asia-Pacific, or to even back Iran in a military operation against long-time enemy Saudi Arabia.
On Wed, AlertsUSA notified subscribers of a direct warning issued by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who stated that lethal weapons supplies to Ukraine will have “dramatic consequences” and risked direct military involvement of Russia.
MINSK MEETING (NO U.S. PRESENCE..)
Late this week, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany met in Minsk, Belarus and hammered out a roadmap aimed at ending the 10-month war. A cease fire is expected to begin Sunday, Feb 15. Few expect it will last.
IN RELATED NEWS:
A-10 Thunderbolt (Warthog) Tank Busters Deployed to E. Europe
Russia Increasing Bomber Flights Near U.S. and NATO Airspace
Russian Bomber in Irish Air Space ‘Had Nuclear Weapon’
Russia’s Expanding Presence in the Arctic
Russia’s Newest Military Bases In Europe: Cyprus
Russia, Nicaragua Sign Agreement to Allow Russian Warships at Ports
Moscow & Cairo to Drop USD, Use Own Currencies in Trade
Russia-Egypt Ink Nuclear Power Plant Deal
AlertsUSA continues to close monitor developments in this region and will immediately notify service subscribers of major changes in the overall threat picture as it applies to U.S. citizens and interests, as events warrant. |
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