The North Atlantic Treaty Organization announced it will launch military drills with 7,000 troops in the Baltics. The provocative war games will include Sweden and Finland. Stockholm is hosting the exercises after applying for NATO membership last month.
The war games, dubbed Baltic Operations (BALTOPS 22), are based in Stockholm. BALTOPS 22 will primarily consist of naval operations and run from June 5-17. The drills will involve 45 ships and 75 aircraft. Sixteen nations will participate, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The annual war games are taking on increased significance as Helsinki and Stockholm recently submitted their applications to join NATO. The USS Kearsarge is in the Swedish capital city for the war games. According to Chairman of the Joint Chief, Gen. Mark Milley said, part of the ship’s mission is a show of force to Russia.
"I think the Kearsarge being here is a pretty strong statement," Milley said. “This is a big exercise with 7000-8000 soldiers from 16 countries, two of which are not NATO members,”
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson added, "This shows President Biden’s security assurances are followed by actions." Several NATO members gave security guarantees to Sweden and Finland as they go through the membership process. The security guarantees are meant to prevent a Russian attack before Stockholm and Helskinki receive protection under the alliance’s mutual defense pact.
Russia says it will not react to Finland and Sweden joining the North Atlantic alliance but warned against a military buildup in the Nordic counties.
Antti Pelttari, head of Finland’s intelligence service, confirmed Moscow had not targeted Helsinki with reprisals since it submitted its NATO application. "It has been rather quiet, and let’s hope it stays that way," he said in an interview with Financial Times. "It’s a positive thing that nothing has happened."
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
It looks like all NATO officials are on the payrolls of the MIC. Why else would they be so hot for more of a losing war? Some really evil people. NATO, the axis of evil.
Russia did no threaten a single nation mentioned taking part in this military exercise, these people are hot to get a war in Europe going, for no good reason other than smelling blood. They are blood thirsty and money hungry evil people.
So they are not allowed to do what they want?
You are delusional.
“they are not allowed to do what they want” Complete nonsense statement. So any time anyone criticized what the U.S. government decides, whether it was under Trump or under Biden, your reply is YOU CAN’T SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY ARE ALLOWED TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT.
The socialist excuse for anything social democrat regimes do. “they are ELECTED so you are not allowed to say anything. It’s THE PEOPLE’S WILL!” But when it’s a right-wing government, then of course you don’t say that.
Heads up, little boy: People are allowed to criticize decisions by politicians. Thanks for playing, good night.
I love that your Sweden finally joins NATO, welcome kiddo!
Good reply to him destroying your stupid a$$ comment. When you got nothing, run with it. Now you shouldn’t have a problem with my comment since I’m allowed to do what I want too.
A Moscow court on Tuesday ordered the arrests in absentia of Russian bloggers Michael Nacke and Veronika Belotserkovskaya, accusing them of discrediting the army and its offensive in Ukraine.
Nacke, a 28-year-old Kremlin critic, hosts a YouTube channel with more than 700,000 subscribers where he discusses Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
A Russian citizen, he is currently in Lithuania, he told AFP, after a Moscow court ordered his detention.
Nacke said he was accused of “calling a war a war” and prosecuted over his updates about the course of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine on his YouTube channel.
The Ukraine basic training is 10 days and then off to the front. with 65% casualty rates.
Russia has skipped basic training, straight to the meat grinder, 80% casualty rates.
Shalom, little bacon! You’re spouting an unsubstantiated propaganda claim again I see, also known as a lie. That’s funny. You just keep spewing them out.
If I was Russia, I would see this move of preparing a large multi front assault on Russia sometimes in the near future.
Then Russia is screwed, they have the majority of their forces in Ukraine.
Ukraine got attacked because it wanted to join NATO plus the other Neo Nazi BS. Finland WILL join NATO (that makes Finland Neo Nazi too?) so you can expect Russia to attack Finland as well hence preparation.
Russia/USSR has previously attacked Finland, so they know what to expect. I.e. nothing good comes from their neighbour in the east.
NATO will get full control over the Baltic region when Sweden and Finland join, and that will make it impossible for Russia to invade Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania!
Yep, I agree.
Shocking. You and him are joined at the hip. What’s his breath like?
Har! 😁
“Russia/USSR has previously attacked Finland”
LOL HILARIOUS! You use something from generations ago done by communists. To slander conservative Russia today.
It’s you and your beloved Washington rulers who are the leftists, eager to invade and control dissenting nations.
The social democrat governments in Stockholm and Helsinki only took power because of votes from easily bribed immigrants. The socialists in Sweden don’t have a majority of votes from any group of Swedes, not even from workers anymore. They are in on the same scheme as Biden, who can’t take power any other way. They use cultural Marxism to turn all the dregs in society against the normals, especially by making sure businesses not filled up with their preferred voters get sued and destroyed. They hate Russia for opposing their leftist schemes.
And you? You use actions from the leftist Soviet past to smear the Russians today. Disgusting.
You also completely ignore Washington sponsoring the coup in Kiev, and before that funding the coup in Georgia, then quadrupling Georgia’s military to invade Russian South Ossetia. You “forget” NATO bombing Serbia for seeking to expel the masses of illegal aliens from Albania who used terrorism to kill Serbs and take over Kosovo. Of course you love all that.
Russki troll.
Aww, little baby stuttering with an insult. I’m Russian? LOL You read Twitter until your eyes bleed and use the slander your favorite “journalists” invent. I’m Swedish, as I have said before, little amateur who couldn’t even find Ukraine on the map until a few years ago.
Kiddo, take your LOLs and go to bed.
I love the fact that your social democrats finally have come to their senses and applied for a NATO membership. Neither Mr Persson or Mr Lovfen had the balls!
I couldn’t care less if you are Russian or Swedish, their are delusional weirdos everywhere!
“You use something from generations ago done by communists. To slander conservative Russia today.”
As if you’re not aware that Vladimir Putin was both a communist and chekist until those labels became politically inconvenient.
Ooooh, a big bad COMMUNIST, Thomas.
Terrifying.
Hey, I’m not the one who played the communist card. I was just pointing out, to the person who did play that card, that Putin is the ace of spades in that deck.
Yes, I guess you were, Thomas.
My bad.
Another non sequitur. Russia was part of the Communist Soviet Union. Putin was a member of the Communist party over 30 years ago. So what?
Writing long comments does not make your narrative more credible. You are not presenting facts, only pure Russian propaganda.
Stop lying, neocon lover. You conveniently “forget” that Ukraine has been attacking Russian Donbass for seven years, shelling it 20 times a day. This was never part of Ukraine other than on administrative Soviet paper.
You “forget” that the coup regime in Kiev, which has banned newspapers and arrested politicians, amassed 60,000 conscripts in the east to invade Donbass in the fall 2021. They had been shelling Donbass 20 times a day for seven years. In the fall it increased to more than 100 a day. They also moved even more conscripts toward the east.
The OSCE observed increased shelling of Donbass from February 16th 2022, and Zelensky signed a law about retaking Russian-inhabited Crimea by force (a Crimea that has always been Russian, Ukraine didn’t extend to the peninsula).
The shelling was a massive violation of the peace, 30 times more shelling than before. This was a clear sign that the Ukrainian war plans had begun.
Tens of thousands of people had fled to Russia, all from the 16th of February, a week before Russia crossed the border to stop the invasion.
On February 15th the OSCE noted 41 explosions in the ceasefire areas.
This increased to 76 on the 16th,
316 on the 17th,
654 on the 18th,
1,413 on the 19th,
2,026 on the 20th and 21st,
1,484 on the 22nd.
Putin’s approval rating is 83 percent after stopping the invasion of Donbass. 14,000 ethnic Russians had already been killed since the coup in Kiev, and 1.5 millions displaced.
Another delusional Putin loyalist here. Keep up that great BS messaging.
Wow, you’re going to be really shocked when you hear about the restrictions that Russia has placed on the press.
Ukraine got attacked because the US/NATO provoked Russia into attacking. If Finland allows the US/NATO to use them as they are using Ukraine, then Finland will indeed increase their probabilities of getting attacked.
Kiddo, finish middle-school first.
Shalom, little bacon. Funny how all you have is a repertoir of repeated insults. You know facts are not on your side. Now go drool over the pictures of people killed in Donbass over the years by the Azov Battalion’s artillery, I know you love that.
🇸🇪❤️ 🇺🇸
You left out your favorite political symbol Don. The swastika.
You mean the official symbol for the Wagner group?
When they don’t have a good response they resort to personal attack. Typical.
Yes, tell me about it!
I guess you are reduced to ad hominem attacks, eh comrade.
What can you reply to a little nazi like that, comrade?
Something intelligent? Sorry, wrong guy. Now show me some more of that sharp wit. Comrade? Igor? Your staleness is showing and you have nothing left. So just continue copying and pasting more MSM “news” and you and your clone can continue to be your own little tiny echo chamber.
A popular Russian blogger and TikToker told Insider that her country’s unprovoked assault in Ukraine is a “catastrophe.”
Natalia Konstantinova, who runs the popular TikTok and Instagram accounts @natashasrussia from which she educates her hundreds of thousands of followers on all things Russian culture, said the last months have been difficult to process as Russian forces continue targeting Ukrainian cities and civilians.
Your sh*t has lost all originality. It was entertaining in a nonsensical idiotic childish third grader material kind of way but now you’re just boring.
US/NATO provoked Russia into attacking?
Where you get that from? Russia most be a very insecure Super Power that attacks when it feels sensitive.
Edit: Russia is a cherry picker then, going after the smaller countries. Why not attack US/NATO if they are the cause?
They attacked Ukraine to take the land for profit. The BS you mentioned was only the excuse.
You are drinking the same Kool Aid most folks here have.
“US/NATO provoked Russia into attacking?
Where you get that from?”
Wow, you seriously think people here don’t know that Donbass has been shelled every day for the last seven years, as confirmed by the UN and everyone else except you? You need to go back to school and learn how to read.
Wow, you seriously think people here don’t know that EVERY invader of EVERY country offers such a pretext?
Wow, you seriously can’t discern when a “pretext” isn’t a pretext because it’s a fact?
Ukraine doesn’t own the people of Donbas. Ukraine IS the invader.
Thomas…constantly being a smartass isn’t the best look on you.
Hey genious, did you know Donbas is majority ethnic Ukrainian?
The Ukrainians were shelling Russian separatists and vice versa. Victims and perpetrators in both sides.
He needs to learn to spell “genius” while he’s there.
It seems fruitless to point out NATO’s expansion after the promise of “not one inch eastward” since you just ignore it. You ignore 30 years of provocation. No Coup. No war games. Just an out of the blue invasion in February. And Russia is going after the US/NATO in the country the US/NATO choose to use as the sacrificial lamb. And you keep cheering it on
Correct. NATO is a bellicose political and militaristic alliance. Ideally it should return to its former borders. Better yet. It should be disbanded.
You are full of it. Just repeating factoids.
Find me an official NATO document where they promised or agreed not to expand ‘east.’
I’ll be waiting.
Edit: 30 years provocation? How? BTW, did you know Russia was genuinly invited to join NATO?
Not an “official NATO document” but right from the horse’s mouth. And no one gets invited to join NATO. You apply. So bullsh*t on Russia “genuinely” being invited to “join”.
“U.S. Secretary of State James Baker’s famous “not one inch eastward” assurance about NATO expansion in his meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on February 9, 1990, was part of a cascade of assurances about Soviet security given by Western leaders to Gorbachev and other Soviet officials throughout the process of German unification in 1990 and on into 1991, according to declassified U.S., Soviet, German, British and French documents posted today by the National Security Archive at George Washington University”
https://mltoday.com/new-document-us-promised-not-to-expand-nato-eastward/#:~:text=U.S.%20Secretary%20of%20State%20James%20Baker%E2%80%99s%20famous%20%E2%80%9Cnot,the%20National%20Security%20Archive%20at%20Georg
Good job Wars! You sure showed up that clown…can’t wait to see if he can come up with a reply 😉
Putin asked Bill Clinton if Russia could join NATO, and Clinton told him “no.”
Correct, Mary. Russia did indeed apply to join NATO.
If I were Russian I would be drooling at such a juicy target.
Unfortunately Russia’s army is struggling to advance in Ukraine, another war is totally impossible for them. Sorry comrade, but they are just a medium-sized military power after all.
Russia hasn’t begun to fight with everything they have, including bigger bombs and even nuclear weapons. But, that’s what Wash. is hoping for, obviously or they wouldn’t be provoking WWIII with the Bear and Dragon.
What are you rambling about, Svetlana?
The Russian army is stretched to its limit, it’s a third rate military power in free fall.
Don, you don’t need a large army to inflict much damage on a country in 2022. A few well placed missles or bombs loaded with the right ornaments will do the job. It seems you’re thinking countries are going to continue to fight a conventional war when it’s already past the point of containing the escalation. It’s obvious the West and especially the war mongers in the U.S and its lapdog U.K. want it to escalate. Russia will sooner rather than later have to respond.
Anyone can send a few missiles and blow things up, however, what’s the point with that?
One thing hasn’t changed, in order to conquer and occupy foreign territory, you need troops. A lot of them too if you plan to permanently hold new areas. Something Russia doesn’t have today and it’s only getting worse with time due to it’s disadvantageous demographics!
Tell that to NATO that thinks Russia wants to take over all of Europe.
I don’t think that they believe that anymore, the Russian army seems unable to even conquer Donbass.
That all the US is capable of: War Games.
They put up a somewhat mediocre fight against a bunch of rag tag goat herders. Couldn’t beat them after 20 years though, so the U.S. military left the country in a hurry with their tales between their legs.
Kearsage = missile meat.
“Russia kicks off war games with China and Iran”
So more of the same that led to where we are now. Brilliant.
Ten mass dhootings in two days — CNN headline today.
Are we divorced from reality? Is our globe trotting, micro-management of global affairs catching up? Empires never gave a dime about their own. Babies in school killed by 18 year old, a baby himself. Anger, despair, hatred — all directed at oneself and other powerless around. Quo Vadis.
No need to worry about nuclear war, Bianca; we Amerikkkans are doing a fine job wiping out ourselves.
It’s all just a dick measuring contest, and it’s tiresome.
Lol…or a pissing contest.
Where is Putin hiding??
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday met frontline troops in Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. In Donetsk and Luhansk, Zelensky visited the cities of Soledar and Lysychansk, both of which have been under heavy Russian attack for weeks, suffering missile, rocket and aerial bombardment. In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, Zelensky met the mayors of some occupied towns as well as “Mariupol residents who managed to leave the city alive and with children.”
Last week: Russia takes most of coup-regime-occupied Sievierodonetsk, clearly on the way to free all of Russian Donbass.
Front-page headline in Sweden’s largest tabloid Expressen yesterday:
PUTIN’S DEFEAT
Of course, Expressen is owned by the Bonnier family, originally “Hirschel,” jewelers and coin dealers in Germany. They also write textbooks for the government’s schools, and after the government’s TV monopoly was ended in the early 1990s, their TV 4 with its news show was the only channel allowed to send on the tax-paid, ground-based system instead of using satellites, greatly reducing costs.
When Bonnier bought up media in Poland and the Baltics, people there reported that the tone in these media changed immediately. There was also a woman from the U.S. buying up media in Poland in the 1990s, with money from U.S. media – this happened all over. In case you wonder why they are so fanatically pro-globalist and anti-Russia.
One man’s “show of force” is another man’s “provocation.”
Obviously, it’s all about provocation and getting Russia and China to fire the first shot so the low information American sheeple will accept WWIII until they see their young people coming home in boxes. And, a draft is also inevitable. That’s when the civil war will begin. You heard it from me first.
“Obviously, it’s all about provocation and getting Russia and China to fire the first shot”
“Ukraine shouldn’t have been wearing that dress in that neighorhood. Obviously, Ukraine wanted it.”
Thomas:
Please refrain from equating the rape of a woman to an aggressive nation ( and yes, Ukraine WAS the initial aggressor due to its action in Donbas) being invaded.
It’s an insult to women everywhere, particularly those who have been victims of sexual assault.
Determining who the “initial aggressor” was would require going back to, at the very least, the 18th century. And probably much further than that.
Vladimir Putin didn’t get out of bed to take a leak and accidentally press the “invade random country” button on the night stand. He made a decision. And now people are making excuses for him. Just like they do for every frat boy that rapes a passed out sorority gal behind a dumpster.
You’re skirting my comment to you.
If you mean the “comparing anything else to sexual assault insults women (only women?) who have been sexually assaulted” part of your comment, I didn’t “skirt” it. I ignored it, because it’s BS that’s unworthy of reply.
“Determining when the initial Russian aggression occurred would require going back to, at the very least, the 18th century.”
Fixed, no charge.
Making an unfriendly alliance is not equivalent to making war.
The Russians and their Cossack functionaries have been attacking Ukraine for centuries. I am not aware of any instance where Ukraine attacked Russia preemptively.
Determining who is the aggressor between Ukraine and Russia is about as difficult as determining who is the aggressor between Ireland and England.
I think you really don’t believe that analogy, do you? See the reply below.
The collective consciousness is obviously no longer concerned with the value of human life. All the mass shootings, and rampant blood thirst has been sweeping over the West, and the end will be nuclear war. Seems obvious, doesn’t it? And, remember Americans only vote for who and what they consider their ‘lesser evil,’ but voting for lesser evils is still voting for evil, isn’t it? Unless the American people do SOMETHING SOON, the greatest catastrophe known to mankind will happen sooner than you think. So, go ahead and live your lives in denial of the obvious if it makes you feel better. Wash. is evil, and the voters still believe a change in parties will solve all problems–get a clue!
“‘I think the Kearsarge being here is a pretty strong statement,'”
Not that strong, given that Russia could sink it in 15 minutes with a couple Zircons or Kindzhals and there isn’t anything that ship could do about it.
.
War games! Oh goody!
Aside from the obvious intent of “intimidation”, think for a moment about the amount of pollution this “exercise” will generate.
Yet ordinary people are expected to purchase electric vehicles they can’t afford, turn off their outdoor lights, use cold water for their laundry, turn down their thermostats to “freeze” levels, and a million other things in order to decrease the use of gas and coal powered electricity.
Meanwhile, the military squanders resources at will. Jet fuel, anyone?
Oh… and gasoline reached $5.19 a gallon here today. And I have to mow the property.