Monthly Archives: August 2021

By Marina Kharkova

The militarisation of Ukraine is proceeding at an accelerated pace and at all levels, starting with mass training in military-patriotic camps for children and adolescents, who in tens of thousands in several shifts learn to shoot from machine guns and make night marches, ending with the modernization of the Ukrainian army, the creation of joint battalions with foreigners and the transition to the NATO standard.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are participating in an unprecedented number of exercises in 2021 compared to previous years. Financing of expenses related to the preparation and conduct of multinational exercises in the territory of Ukraine in the amount of 38.5 million hryvnias is provided in the direction of the budget program "Training of troops, operations and international exercises."

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced the "revolutionary nature" of the maneuvers, since they would form multinational units, where foreign soldiers and officers would be integrated into Ukrainian battalions.

This was done for the first time under President Poroshenko in 2016, when a joint Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian brigade was created. It consists of an international headquarters, three motorized infantry battalions and special forces. The brigade has 2,000 Polish soldiers, 550 from Ukraine and 350 Lithuanians.

The goals are the interaction of the military personnel of the three countries, the exchange of experience, the preparation of the Ukrainian army for integration into Nato.

Under President Zelensky, the West has stepped up experiments to create hybrid troops and multinational contingents with a full-fledged representation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Recently, two MS-130 military transport aircraft from the 352nd Air Wing of the US Air Force arrived in Vinnitsa. The stay of the American paratroopers and pilots will last a month: flights and landing operations will be practiced. More than 50 Ukrainian paratroopers, together with the Americans, are landing from American aircraft.

The withdrawal of special-purpose groups to the conditional area was worked out with the help of "Wing" controlled soaring parachute systems from an altitude of two to three thousand meters. Other amphibious landings are planned for the strategic exercises "United Efforts - 2021". They will be attended by foreign military and units from 15 Nato countries.

The exercises will take place in September 2021 and will cover all military training grounds, the waters of the Black and Azov Seas. The goal of countering the "Russian-Belarusian threat" was announced by the adviser to the President of Ukraine, the representative of the Ukrainian delegation in the Minsk format Aleksey Arestovich.

In the international exercises Rapid Trident-2021, which will be held in September in the Lviv region, about 6 thousand military personnel with the participation of foreign fighters and officers will take part. For the first time, tactical exercises of a multinational battalion with live fire will be held, joint jumps of Ukrainian and American paratroopers are planned.

At the same time, command and staff trainings of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducted at five combined-arms training grounds with the involvement of subunits in practical actions. Kiev is openly and methodically preparing for war in two directions: against the LPNR, where a serious aggravation of hostilities has already begun, and on the Crimean one. That is why it has now been announced that large-scale exercises will be held in most regions of Ukraine.

On the territory of the Donetsk region since August 13, multi-stage exercises with the use of firearms and armored vehicles have been taking place. They will last a month and will be held in conditions as close as possible to real ones. And near Crimea, Ukraine is probing the situation, counting on the help of Western curators.

There is a tendency when NATO warships do not leave the Black Sea area after some exercises, but immediately switch to others. And the locations of the exercises hardly change - this is the front-line territory of Donbass and the Black Sea regions bordering on Crimea.

This was the focus of the joint summer maneuvers of Ukraine and NATO countries "Cossack Mace 2021". The Sea Breeze exercises were actually held on the border with Russia. Now United Efforts is starting and a number of smaller exercises are still underway.

Ukraine and Georgia conducted maneuvers in the Black Sea according to NATO standards. In the scenario of the exercise - the grinding and adaptation of the crews of Ukrainian and Georgian naval sailors for joint maritime operations as part of multinational tactical groups. The exercises of Ukrainian paratroopers and reservists took place on the administrative border with Crimea.

The actions at observation posts and their reinforcement by reserve units were practiced with the support of artillery, destroy the conditional enemy, having reached a certain line.

The paratroopers overcame various obstacles and took up positions in difficult terrain. The "conditional adversary" meant the Russian border guards, who are precisely the closest adversary on the administrative border.

The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense of the Ministry of Defense visited the border island of Serpents. During the inspection, the garrison practiced actions to destroy air and surface targets and underwater mining. Only foreign technologies were used as control and surveillance systems.

Large-scale maneuvers took place at the ShirokiyLan range near Nikolaev. The main emphasis is placed on defense with the use of precision weapons. Also at the test site were used American anti-tank missile systems Javelin and Ukrainian-made Stugna missile launchers. In the Kherson region, the artillery battalions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which included the Smerch installations, conducted firing practice. There were also exercises of units of anti-aircraft missile forces.

The Ukrainian military continues to strengthen and modernize its infrastructure on the border with Crimea. At the OleshkovskiePeski training ground, exercises took place according to the scenario of the liberation of the "occupied" territories. The leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the beginning of the full functioning of the Yagorlyk state test site, which is designed to launch missiles capable of hitting targets on the peninsula. This range is planned to be used for testing long-range artillery. In fact, near the border of Crimea, the largest landfill in Ukraine, with an area of about 3.7 thousand hectares, is fully operational.

Practical tests of the new Typhoon-1 ammunition for the Grad MLRS and a new missile for the Tochka-U were carried out at the Alibey test site. The ammunition was developed by the Ukrainian Yuzhnoye design bureau. The characteristics of the new models are not specified, but it is reported that the range of targets has increased significantly.

In addition to developing its own weapons, the Ukrainian regime ordered an Ada-class corvette from Turkey, which is now under construction. It will be equipped with American, European and Turkish weapons: a missile system, an anti-aircraft missile system, artillery installations of various calibers, remotely controlled stabilized machine guns, mine-torpedo weapons. Ukraine will spend 3.4 billion hryvnia on the Turkish corvette.

The Bayraktar drones delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine have successfully passed tests under the influence of electronic warfare equipment. Exercises with their use recently ended at the southern military ranges of Ukraine.

And the Turkish company confirmed that it intends to build UAV assembly shops in Ukraine, the project provides for one hundred percent investment in the creation of a state-of-the-art research and development center, maintenance and repair shops with accompanying services. Also, a Turkish company initiated the creation of an industrial park and a technology park of defense technologies for joint Ukrainian and Turkish enterprises.

The combined diving unit of Ukrainian naval sailors arrived in Constanta at the military base of the Romanian naval forces to participate in the Dive 2021 multinational exercise, which began with the participation of representatives from Ukraine, the United States, Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia.

The other day in Berdyansk, a station was opened for the naval guard division, created by the United States according to NATO standards. The Americans pay special attention to the Sea of Azov, which they previously could not control in geopolitical terms, but now they have such an opportunity.

Ukraine not only prepares for war, but also calls on the West to openly intervene. SBU General VasilyVovk recently suggested that the United States and Britain seize Crimea and go to war against Russia: Joint exercises and summits alone are not enough. take this land - that's what will help us. " Ukrainian diplomats, with the support of the United States and Europe, initiated a project of the so-called "Crimean Platform" to return Crimea to Ukraine.

At the same time, the Ukrainian chief diplomat Nikolai Kuleba openly threatened Russia with stones from the sky: The main thing for Crimea was to return to Russia, and there at least stones from the sky Please, there will be stones from the sky for you, there will be a lot of things. We will wait for our time. " These threats and militaristic fervor cannot be underestimated as the hybrid war on the part from Ukraine and NATO is under way.

Originally posted here:
Nato now more involved in the militarisation of Ukraine than ever before - The Citizen

Finnish authorities have announced that due to the security situation created in Afghanistan, that Afghans and their families working in Afghanistan, for authorities of Finland, the EU, and NATO can obtain their residence permit in Finland.

These people will be taken from Afghanistan to Finland by a charter flight organized by the state, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

This decision was taken in an extraordinary session on August 13, as the underlying assessment is that Afghans and their families may face human rights violations in the future.

According to this decision, 130 people who are or have been employed by the Finnish government, EU institutions, or NATO, can be admitted to Finland, including their families, which are considered the members of the family and adult unmarried children living in the same household.

Furthermore, about 40 people and their families from Afghanistan can also get a residence permit issued by Finland authorities. With this decision, Finland will also allow a maximum of ten persons, including family members, who were previously employed by the Kabul mission and whose employment relationship was still valid on January 1, 2021.

The Finnish government will also permit about 50 people and their families recruited from the European Union Representation in Kabul or the European Union Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) to apply for residence. In addition, Finland may take on a maximum of 30 persons and their families employed by the NATO crisis management operation.

In May, NATO began its final withdrawal from its mission in Afghanistan with about 9,600 soldiers, 2,500 of which were American. Right after, a bomb blast outside a girls school on May 9 left 85 people dead, most of them being pupils.

By mid-May, American soldiers left Afghanistans largest airbases in Kandahar, the second-largest city, which was soon seized by the Taliban forces.

In June, the forces captured several districts in the northern provinces, including the Shir Khan Bandar border crossing with Tajikistan on June 22.

On July 2, all American and NATO troops were withdrawn from Bagram, Afghanistans biggest airbase, after serving its mission for two decades. Two days later, the Taliban captured the key district of Panjwai in Kandahar, and they announced the capture of the border crossing point with Iran, Islam Qala, on July 9.

By the beginning of August, eight people were killed in bomb and gun attacks by the Taliban, targeted at the Afghan defence minister. A few days later, the Taliban shot the head of the Afghan governments media information centre at a mosque in the capital and then captured their first provincial capital, the city of Zaranj.

On the following days, Kunduz, Sheberghan, Sar-e-Pul, Taloqan, Aibak, and Farah also fell under Taliban rule without a fight.

On August 15, Ashraf Ghani, the president of Afghanistan, fled the country and admitted the Taliban had won in a statement.

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Finland to Grant Residence Permits to 220 Afghans Working for Finnish Authorities, NATO & EU Due to Situation in Afghanistan -...

The accession to the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence will provide Ukraine access to leading research and development projects and help counter cyber threats, including from Russia. NATO will consider the countrys membership application and announce the decision this fall.

Thats according to Natalia Tkachuk, chief of the Information Security Office at the National Security and Defense Council, as reported by Ukrinform.

Membership in the organization will provide Ukraine with the opportunity to exchange experience in detecting and countering modern cyber threats, developing skills in joint response to cyber attacks and conducting defense and deterrence operations in cyberspace. Ukraine will have access to the latest research and development conducted by CCDCOE. All this will allow more effective countering Russias hybrid threats. CCDCOE membership will be yet another important step toward Ukraine's accession to NATO," Tkachuk told Ukrinform in response to a question about the benefits of CCDCOE membership.

The response to the journalist's inquiry says CCDCOE has been operating as NATO's cyber defense center since 2008. The main areas of cooperation and interaction of participants include technology, operations in cyberspace, development of cybersecurity strategies, and legislation. CCDCOE organizes annual large-scale cyber exercises, including Locked Shields, aimed at practicing cyber defense efforts, and Crossed Swords, aiming to work out active cyber operations, as well as a large number of professional training sessions on cyber defense and cyber security.

Asked how complex and lengthy the accession process could be, Tkachuk said joining the organization requires a concerted decision by all members, which is almost 30 countries, most of which are NATO Allies. The decision to add new members is made after it is considered at the CCDCOE Steering Committee meeting, and must be unanimous.

The next meeting of the Committee, which will consider Ukraine's application, is scheduled for November this year. After successful consideration of the application, the applicant for admission shall take a number of practical steps related to choosing the range of activities within the organization, training and sending the relevant professionals, etc. It usually takes about six months from the application filing to the start of active work, Tkachuk said, adding that the outcome of consideration will be announced after a meeting of the CCDCOE Steering Committee in the autumn of this year, after which a meeting is scheduled with the organizations representatives.

At the same time, the National Cyber Security Coordination Center has set up working cooperation with CCDCOE to ensure the preparatory phase of Ukraine's application. Now the parties are able to cooperate at the level of specialists, including in the preparation of cyber exercises, development of cyber ranges, and other issues.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on August 3, a delegation of the National Cyber Security Coordination Center at the National Security and Defense Council held a series of bilateral meetings during a working visit to Estonia to build up cooperation between Ukraine and Estonia in the field of cybersecurity.

The Ukrainian side has applied to join CCDCOE.

im

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Ukraine's application to join NATOs CCDCOE to be considered this fall - Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news

Since Russia illegally annexed Crimea and began an aggression in eastern Ukraine in 2014, Europe's security environment has been tense. NATO's response to Russia's antagonism, especially the measures it has taken to support its geographically vulnerable Baltic Allies, has been robust. At their most recent meeting in Brussels in June this year, NATO heads of state and government again condemned Russia's ongoing military build-up as a threat to security and reaffirmed their determination to continue to enhance their deterrence posture in the eastern part of the Alliance.

NATO combat aircraft have policed Baltic airspace from mari air base since 2014, supplementing air policing from Siauliai, Lithuania, which began in 2004. Since 2015, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have hosted NATO Force Integration Units, tasked with facilitating the deployment to the Baltic states of the Alliance's rapid response forces, which have themselves been expanded and made more ready. The multinational battlegroups that comprise enhanced Forward Presence, NATO's most visible contribution to Baltic security, first deployed to the Baltic states and Poland in 2017.

Standing NATO Maritime Group One and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One are present in the Baltic Sea for around 300 days each year, and the Alliance conducts exercises in and around Baltic territory, on land, at sea and in the air on a regular basis.

At this week's Opinion Festival, at a panel organized by the ICDS and the British Embassy in Tallinn, we will discuss whether these efforts are sufficient to deter an adversary from taking military action in the Baltic region. Russia is the only country in Europe that could conceivably pose such a military threat to its neighbors.

Deterrence aims to persuade an adversary not to attack either because it believes the defending side will prevent it from achieving its objectives or because it fears the defender will retaliate and impose unacceptable financial, material or human costs known by theorists as deterrence by denial and deterrence by punishment. Either strategy requires the adversary to believe that the defender has enough military capability to deny or punish and the will to use it.

From this, it should be clear that we will certainly not be able to definitively answer whether NATO's deterrence posture is sufficient. NATO can do its best to demonstrate its readiness to respond forcefully to any attack, but in the end, deterrence exists only in the mind of the adversary.

Analysts can, though, look at the various components that make up NATO's deterrence posture, think about their possible impact from a range of expert perspectives (military, political, cultural and so on) and consider what more might be done to enhance their effect. From a military perspective, at least four closely related questions are worth exploring: what capability deters, how much of it is needed, who should provide it and where should it be?

NATO has far greater military power than Russia globally. But in the Baltic region, Russia has a considerable local advantage in the balance of forces. It is not realistic, for practical and political reasons, for NATO to permanently deploy to the region the several army brigades, including some heavily armored, that analysts estimate could deter an attack with a reasonable degree of confidence.

Instead, NATO relies on a "tripwire" strategy (although it does not use this term) in which only small forces are present in the Baltic region local Baltic forces and the enhanced Forward Presence battlegroups whose attack would trigger a much larger NATO reinforcement and defense operation.

In such a strategy, the local forces must be able to deal with smaller-scale contingencies themselves and delay any larger-scale attack for as long as possible to allow reinforcements to arrive. In these circumstances, the "what" and "how much" capability questions relate to being able to provide a balanced local response to a range of contingencies. The focus is on identifying and addressing shortfalls in capabilities that have broad utility in the Baltic region, examples include air defense and maritime assets.

The "who" question has at least two angles. As a collective defense organization, NATO derives credibility from the fact that every ally would respond if one of their number was attacked. Allied unity is thus a vital component of deterrence. It was noticeable that at their summit in June, NATO leaders were eager to demonstrate the cohesion and common purpose that had been so badly damaged by the Trump presidency. But actions on the ground are important too that 23 out of 30 Allies are framework, contributing or host nations to enhanced Forward Presence sends a strong message to a would-be aggressor.

At the same time, it is unavoidable that some allies will produce a higher deterrent effect than others. In NATO, the U.S. is by a considerable margin the most militarily powerful member state. The U.S. has concentrated its NATO-flagged presence in Poland and does not participate in the Enhanced Forward Presence battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania (although there are small U.S. national units present in each of the Baltic states). It is to ensure the absolute certainty that the U.S. will be engaged in any conflict in the region that Baltic leaders are eager to host a permanent or rotational U.S. military presence.

NATO's tripwire strategy has effectively already settled the "where" question there will only be small, light forces in the region, while the large and heavy forces that provide the bulk of the deterrent effect will be mostly located in their home states. In the Baltic defense scenario, "where" has thus been replaced by "how" how do these reinforcements get to where they need at the right time?

NATO has taken steps to ensure the greater readiness of its forces to be certain that they can deploy quickly. And, alongside the EU, it has worked to ensure that the various legal, physical, and organizational obstacles to military movement across Europe are reduced or removed. These efforts have been brought together in recent years through reinforcement exercises on a scale not seen since the Cold War.

After a long period focusing mostly on expeditionary warfare, NATO is relearning old skills related to deterrence and collective defense and learning how to apply these in new strategic circumstances. It is certainly on the right path, while this process requires continued focus and investment. NATO's new strategic concept the highest-level statement of its environment, purpose, nature, and tasks to be agreed and published in 2022 will be an important marker of how the Alliance understands this challenge and what more needs to be done.

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"Taking security for granted? NATO and the Baltic states" will take place in English, from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. on Friday, August 13 in the Nordic Talks area of the Opinion Festival in Paide, Estonia. It will be livestreamed on ICDS and British Embassy social media channels.

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Taking security for granted? NATO and the Baltic states - ERR News

Afghan police check the cars at the entrance gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 15, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

Aug 15 (Reuters) - NATO is maintaining its diplomatic presence in Kabul and helping to keep the city's airport running, the military alliance said on Sunday as Taliban insurgents entered the Afghan capital.

"NATO is helping keep Kabul airport open to facilitate and coordinate evacuations," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter.

Stoltenberg said he had discussed the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Taliban insurgents entered Kabul on Sunday and said they expected to take power within days. read more

A NATO official told Reuters the alliance was maintaining its diplomatic presence in Kabul. The official did not respond to questions on whether NATO planned to hold a crisis meeting to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

"NATO is constantly assessing developments in Afghanistan," the official said, adding that the security of the alliance's personnel was paramount and NATO would continue to adjust as necessary.

After almost two decades, NATO this summer completed military operations in Afghanistan and withdrew most troops from the country.

The alliance still operates a diplomatic representation in Kabul. A NATO spokesperson on Friday declined to provide details on the representation, citing security concerns, in response to a Reuters request.

Headquartered in Brussels, NATO also serves as a forum to coordinate national measures in Afghanistan, such as the evacuation of citizens that was discussed by NATO ambassadors on Friday.

Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Editing by Kate Abnett and Alison Williams

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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NATO says it is helping keep Kabul airport open for evacuations - Reuters

Norman Nato felt he was driving a rocketship during the second race of the Berlin E-Prix weekend, with the Frenchman securing his maiden ABB FIA Formula E World Championship victory at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit.

The ROKiT Venturi Racing driver was almost untouchable when he took over from Stoffel Vandoorne for the lead, with the Frenchman surviving a safety car period and pressure from Oliver Rowland to take the chequered flag first for his maiden win and the second victory of the season for the team.

Nato admitted to being speechless after the race, but he felt it was a tense afternoon behind the wheel, particularly after the safety car restart, and he thanked the team for their support throughout the season.

Today we executed the perfect race and honestly, Im shocked and speechless, said Nato. Ive been hungry for silverware for a very long time after losing my podiums in Rome and Valencia so it was very emotional to finally finish inside the top three.

Every week, we put in a massive amount of work with the hope of achieving results like this so to execute the perfect race is a very special feeling. The car was flawless and it felt like I was driving a rocketship.

From my perspective, the race was very tense, especially after the second Safety Car restart when Ollie [Rowland] tried to overtake but in the end, we came out on top. It feels great to end the season with a win and this is a moment I just want to enjoy.

I would like to thank the entire team for supporting me this season and getting me to the top step. Im proud of them and a result like this means the world.

Team-mate Edoardo Mortara went into the final race of the season with an excellent chance of taking the title, but his chance of taking the crown was over before he even got to turn one after he collected the stationary car of Mitch Evans on the start and finish straight.

Mortara had qualified eleventh on the grid but was unable to avoid the Jaguar Racing driver as he accelerated towards the first turn, and he was taken to the medical centre for his troubles. He was identified to have a small fracture on his fourth vertebrae that will put him out of action for around six weeks.

Despite the disappointment of losing the chance of the title, Mortara was thankful for the response of the marshals and medical team, and he was full of praise for Nato for taking his maiden victory.

After the highs of yesterday, I was looking forward to racing today and I think we had an outside shot at the Drivers Championship, said Mortara. At the start, there was nothing I could do to avoid Mitch [Evans] and by the time he was in my vision, it was too late to react.

It was a heavy impact and Im glad that hes ok. From my side, I have a microfracture of my fourth vertebrae from the crash but Im very grateful that I dont need an operation or have a more serious injury.

I would like to thank the marshals and the medical team for their response to my accident and to congratulate Norman for securing his maiden win in Formula E.

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Norman Nato: To execute the perfect race is a very special feeling - The Checkered Flag

Speaking to Sky News, he said: I think we all saw that and felt a real sense of sadness that first of all the forces that the British and the international community had invested in had melted away in some areas so quickly.

You dont fix things overnight in global issues, you have to manage them when that deal was done a few years ago, what happened was ultimately we undermined the community the deal undermined the Afghan government and left it in a place that ultimately saw the end the river flows fastest towards the end and that is what we saw yesterday and its what were seeing in our pictures today.

He added: My job as as defence secretary is to make sure that we protect not only the UK nationals, but those Afghans we have an obligation to, that is actually why were in the country. For the last few weeks weve been in the country solely to process those people and to make sure we protect our officials doing that job and well continue to do so.

Asked if he acknowledged the Taliban had won the war, he said: I dont know about a win, I think, I acknowledge that the Taliban are in control of the country. You dont have to be a political scientist to spot thats where were at.

Asked if Nato was going to return and take over Kabul, Wallace said: No, look thats not on the cards that were going to go back.

He added: The US have made itself clear that theyre not intending to stay and as the framework nation that leaves us with difficult choices and Ive been pretty much honest about that all the way through this process.

On the airlift of British nationals, he added: The military flights are coming in and out, theyve just brought in more UK soldiers.

Border Force is joining us to make sure that we accelerate the process to get more Afghans out, which is our obligation. We flew out 370 staff and British citizens, eligible personnel yesterday and the day before and well continue to engage those flights.

The next group of Afghans to come out will be 782 and well make sure we get them in the next 24 to 36 hours out of the country and are continuing to process those people.

Wallace said of the Afghanistan evacuation: We will do everything we can to bring as many people out as possible.

Asked if the Taliban had changed, he told Sky News: It does not look like a change The leadership has a responsibility to make sure that it upholds human rights.

Asked about the prospect of the Taliban flag flying over the UK embassy in Kabul, he said: Thats the consequence of the Taliban, its not the embassy anymore, we have left that location, weve drawn down within the airport symbolically its not what any of us wanted.

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Afghanistan crisis: Defence Secretary Ben Wallace insists Nato forces not going back to Kabul as Taliban take control - The Scotsman