Russia appears to be readying itself for a very serious confrontation with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), a confrontation that, if it should come to pass, many believe will be the opening stage of World War 3. And that confrontation just might occur in the Crimea, so Russia has not only increased its troop strength in the area, but it also created a new military task force just to go head-to-head with NATO forces.
Daily Star reported over the weekend that Russia’s defense minister, Sergey Shoigu, had informed the Defense Ministry in Moscow that a military task force comprised of four divisions, nine brigades, and 22 regiments had been formed in order to match the massing of alliance forces along the borders of the disputed region. Describing the task force as “self-sufficient,” Shoigu also told the Ministry that, due to the more than 200 military exercises conducted in the area since 2013, the new Russian task force would be able to match NATO blow for blow should hostilities begin.
The announcement of the new military task force came just days after the unsettling Atlantic Group report that warned, because of the heightened number of military drills conducted by Russia, President Vladimir Putin could order an attack “overnight” using the exercises as a cover, attacking without warning. As Inquisitr reported, the report went on to warn that NATO should not underestimate Russia’s willingness to take advantage of the West’s unwillingness to engage in battle, thereby testing also the mutual defense pact of the treaty. The Baltic States were of particular concern for potential invasion, and it was suggested that NATO counter Russia’s increased troop maneuverings with the bolstering of defenses, especially in Poland, a nation that would be increasingly vulnerable if Russia were to invade the Estonia, Latvia, and/or Lithuania.
But even as worries of a Russian invasion mount in the northern part of the continent, tensions have risen in the south as well. To add to those tensions, it is known that two of the divisions in the newly created task force were equipped with Iskander ballistic missile launchers, weapons capable of launching nuclear missiles.
In addition to the ground forces committed to Crimea, Shoigu said that air defenses in Russia’s southwest had been increased by 50 percent. He added that Russia’s troop strength had been doubled.
The show of force, Shoigu insisted, would help to stabilize an unsteady Ukraine. It would also aid in facing “growing terrorist activity.”
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Ukraine, not to mention a number of nations around the world, has decried the military takeover as an illegal act against a sovereign nation and does not recognize Russia’s authority over Crimea. Regardless, Russia announced the full integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation in July 2015, according to International Business Times.
Full article: World War 3 Ready: Russia Forms New Military Task Force To Match NATO ‘Blow For Blow’ In Crimea (Inquisitr)
Global Geopolitics 