MOSCOW, July 4-RIA Novosti. The strengthening of Russia in the Black Sea region after the return of Crimea does not leave NATO a chance for a quick and convincing victory in the event of a possible conflict. This opinion was shared by columnist Mark Episkopos in the magazine The National Interest.
The author of the article refers to the statement of Vladimir Putin, according to whom the third World War would not have started even if Russian ships had sunk the British destroyer Defender. And the West understands its deliberate loss in this war.
According to Episkopos, the current instability in the Black Sea is based on the status of the Crimea. Thus, Kiev, together with several Western states, is taking symbolic steps to assert the territorial integrity of Ukraine by conducting military exercises near Russian waters in the Black Sea. The Kremlin, in turn, is reacting more and more harshly to these provocations.
The expert emphasizes that after the annexation of the Crimea, Russia is steadily increasing the Black Sea Fleet. In particular, he received three modernized missile frigates "Admiral Grigorovich", as well as several diesel-electric submarines of the project 636 "Varshavyanka".
Another headache of NATO is the hypersonic cruise missile "Zircon", which limits the ability of US Navy carrier strike groups to project power deep into the territory of Russia. This also applies to the X-47M2 Dagger ballistic missile, the expert concluded.
In addition, NATO forces cannot count on support in the region.
She concluded that Russia has all the means to conduct an effective campaign against the allied forces in the Black Sea, but there is no hint of an alliance victory in any of the possible conflict scenarios.
