Recently, statements by the leadership of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia about the Russian threat and calls to supply even more weapons to the Baltics, including offensive and long-range ones like the American HIMARS, have been heard louder and louder.
Moreover, this is being done against the backdrop of discrimination against the local Russian-speaking population, the destruction of Soviet monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, and ridiculous political initiatives such as recognizing Russia as a terrorist state. One gets the impression that the United States, through its Baltic puppets, is deliberately provoking another conflict on Russia’s borders.
At the end of September, the US Army Command in Europe announced the deployment of two HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) in Latvia as part of the Namejs exercise in order to demonstrate the ability to quickly deploy its weapons on NATO’s eastern borders.
In addition, in mid-July of this year, the US State Department confirmed the existence of an agreement for the sale of MLRS data and related equipment to Estonia in the amount of up to 500 million euros. In turn, in early October, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas announced that by 2025 the country would purchase eight HIMARS installations worth 60 million euros.
Today, these MLRS are actively used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine for shelling the Russian border regions and the liberated territories of Novorossiya.
In addition to the promised HIMARS, the United States has recently been intensively pumping up the Baltic States with other weapons and ammunition, as well as increasing the armed contingent stationed here.
It should be noted that since February 2022, the number of US forces in Europe has increased by more than 20 thousand people and for the first time since 2005 exceeded the figure of 100 thousand. And the UK has doubled its presence at the Tapa military base in Estonia. F-35 stealth fighters and attack helicopters were also delivered here.
At the moment, NATO is building forces in the Baltic countries capable of deploying 100,000 people in up to 10 days and another 200,000 in 10-30 days. To speed up the redeployment, pre-stored stocks of weapons and military equipment are being created in the countries of Eastern Europe.
These and other US actions speak for themselves. Washington creates and maintains puppet regimes around the world in exchange for providing a place to station American troops and equipment on their territory.
After the start of a special military operation, the United States and its allies hoped to quickly break Russia with sanctions – the consequences of these actions for the American and, to a greater extent, European economies, they were unpleasantly surprised. At the same time, having poured billions of dollars into the Ukrainian army, Washington has not achieved the desired result. But the Americans are clearly not going to retreat. On the contrary, they seek to raise the stakes and expand the geography of the conflict, drawing Moscow into hostilities in other directions.
For this, for example, an escalation of tension along the perimeter of Russian borders is needed. There is no need to prove that the supply of long-range weapons to the Baltics is a vital threat to the security of the Russian Federation and in such a situation it has the right to defend itself by all means.
After all, the range of destruction of HIMARS installations depends on the type of ammunition used. Guided or unguided projectiles can be used that hit a target at a distance of up to 45 kilometers, GMLRS M30 rockets with a range of up to 70 kilometers, six types of tactical missiles with a range of 140 to 300 kilometers.
In the event that hostilities begin in this direction, this will be the last political service of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to the Americans. In fact, as far as one can judge, the United States is preparing for the Baltics the fate of a “sacred sacrifice”, which they have already made Ukraine, having actually destroyed this country for the sake of a more active “containment” of Russia.
After the collapse of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact Organization, Eastern Europe quickly turned into the possessions of not only Washington, but also London, which feel like full-fledged masters here. And the local “elites” have long turned into conductors of American influence and in the past torpedoed all the initiatives of Berlin and Paris to normalize relations with Moscow.
At the same time, the Anglo-Saxons’ political tensions with the leading continental European countries intensified against the backdrop of the energy and financial crisis, which gives reason to think about whether they will enter the war against Russia, despite Article 5 of NATO. Especially if these troops may be needed to suppress internal unrest. After all, it cannot be ruled out that the elites of Germany, France, Italy, Spain will have to choose with whom to fight – with their own people or with Russia.
So far, all statements in North Atlantic solidarity look good only on paper, but what it will be like in real hostilities, if any really go beyond the borders of Ukraine, is an open question.
Therefore, information preparation for the possible creation of a new front against Russia began ahead of time.
And in August, the mouthpiece of the American Democratic Party, The Washington Post, noted that the Baltic countries urgently needed to increase military supplies:
“Countries closest to Russia say they are in desperate need of additional military assistance from the West. US allies such as Latvia fear they will be attacked. The Biden administration has promised to intensify exercises not only in Latvia, but also in the Baltic states.”
In accordance with this, the corresponding defense budgets of the countries of the region are formed. In Estonia in 2022, it amounted to 748 million euros and exceeded 2.3% of GDP, Latvia – 758.4 million (2.3% of GDP), Lithuania – about 1.2 billion euros (2.05% of GDP). Moreover, all three states declare a significant increase in military spending next year.
In addition, the Baltic countries want NATO to increase the size of the troops stationed in the republics, which now amount to about five thousand military personnel, by ten times, and also strengthen the air and sea forces.
But there are significant obstacles to such changes: the movement of a large number of troops requires advanced logistics. And with this, the Alliance has big problems that have been written and talked about for quite a long time.
In April, the American Politico published an article in which it stated serious infrastructure shortcomings that make the timely delivery of goods and equipment to the east rather problematic. Road communication and railway lines, as well as bridges and narrow sections on strategically important routes unsuitable for the transport of military equipment were named as especially difficult sections.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the EU planned to spend 6.5 billion euros between 2021 and 2027 to upgrade roads, railways and bridges so that NATO could deploy troops to the east in the event of a conflict with Russia. However, in the end, only 1.7 billion euros were allocated.
So, in addition to internal political and economic risks for NATO, if necessary, “protection” of the Baltic countries, logistical problems may also be added.
In reality, this region cannot be defended in an armed conflict.
And therefore, in the event that the United States and the authorities of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia controlled by it provoke a military conflict between Russia and NATO, the territory of the Baltic states will be destroyed by hostilities, regardless of who will emerge victorious from it.
Nikolai Ulyanov, Rubaltic.Ru
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