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Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov

Introduction – Dec 27, 2021

Despite what the Mail claims below, the situation in Ukraine is NOT a replay of the Cuba crisis. Now the roles are reversed as the West is deploying its military closer and closer to Russia’s Western border.

Crucial among the weapons being deployed by NATO are missile defences in Poland and the Czech Republic. The next step in NATO’s steady eastern advance would be to deploy medium range missiles in Poland, and if Kyev joins NATO, in Ukraine too.

This is what Russia dreads and why it is adamantly opposed to Ukraine joining NATO. Deploying medium range nuclear missiles in Ukraine would mean NATO would be only a matter of minutes from striking Moscow.

Over the past few decades NATO has shifted its focus steadily eastwards, to the point that its forces are now effectively on Russia’s doorstep. Hitler used blizkrieg tactics and Napoleon used his Grande Armee while NATO is taking a more incremental approach.

As Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin maintained recently, the Western military alliance is preparing for war with Russia. That’s why Moscow has been so adamant in its opposition to Ukraine joining NATO and why the situation is so fraught with danger. Ed.

The West is facing a new Cuban missile crisis unless it caves in to Putin over his NATO demands ‘here and now’, Moscow warns as Putin stages fresh war games

  • Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov made ominous comparison to Cuba
  • Russia won’t compromise on guarantee that Kiev won’t join NATO, he said
  • Ryabkov said Moscow won’t tolerate NATO deploying missiles in eastern Europe
  • Warning comes as fresh drills with 1,000 troops were staged in western Russia

Will Stewart – Daily Mail Dec 27, 2021

The world is heading for a new Cuban missile crisis in Ukraine if the West fails to deal with Russia‘s security demands ‘here and now’, Moscow said today.

This came amid a new round of major military exercises by Vladimir Putin‘s troops in an evident bid to warn NATO of the seriousness of the situation ahead of the New Year.

Videos showed the latest Russian drills – some close to Ukraine – amid fears Putin will invade if the West fails to meet his demands.

Hawkish deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov denied he was exaggerating in comparing the current crisis to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

‘No, not too much,’ he said in an interview with Mezhdunarodnaya Zhizn magazine when asked if his comparison was ‘too much.’

There are fears a war could erupt between Russia and Western-ally Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Ryabkov appeared to rule out a Russian compromise on seeking cast-iron guarantees that Ukraine would not join NATO, and promises not to deploy strike weapons in eastern European countries which are members of the western alliance.

‘I call on everyone considering this topic publicly to think whether it is shameful for Russia to meet Western ultimatum demands halfway,’ he said.

And he made clear that ‘if we cannot do it [through diplomacy], then open questions will emerge: what are further steps and what should we do?

‘We are against escalation, we are against conflicts, we do not draw lines in the sand, just the logic itself leads us to say that we are not ready to make peace with the current situation.’

Exercises in Russia’s western military district involved drills to repel a massive air strike by a simulated enemy on strategic facilities of the district, according to TV Zvezda, owned by the defence ministry. Around 1,000 servicemen took part in the war games which included ‘repulsing an attack by enemy reconnaissance and sabotage groups’ (pictured: tanks taking part in the war games). Click to enlarge

He warned: ‘We can no longer postpone, let’s deal with this serious issue … here and now.’

He insisted: ‘We must put an end to the expansion of NATO, NATO infrastructure, NATO capabilities further east.

‘We must exclude Ukraine from joining NATO.’

His words amplified Putin’s insistence on Russian TV that ‘I want everyone to realise, both in our country and abroad, I want our partners to understand one thing…

‘It’s not that we don’t want anyone to cross a certain line.

‘It’s that we have nowhere to retreat now.

‘They have pressed us against such a line… we have nowhere to go…

‘Like I said, they will deliver missile systems to Ukraine, four to five minutes flying time to Moscow.

‘Well, where shall we move now?

‘It’s just that they’ve brought us to the state where we must tell them: ‘Stop!’ That’s what it is’.’

Exercises in Russia’s western military district involved drills to repel a massive air strike by a simulated enemy on strategic facilities of the district, according to TV Zvezda, owned by the defence ministry.

Around 1,000 servicemen took part in the war games which included ‘repulsing an attack by enemy reconnaissance and sabotage groups’.

Weapons deployed were modern anti-aircraft missile systems S-300V, Tor-M2 and portable anti-aircraft missile systems Igla, said reports.

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