Russia warns of “direct confrontation” with NATO over US drones in the Black Sea

Insights from The Washington Post and Firstpost

The news

Russia warned on Friday that an increase in the number of US drones flying over the Black Sea could lead to a “direct confrontation”with NATO.

The Kremlin accuses Washington of carrying out reconnaissance in the waters on behalf of Ukraine, while the US has stated that it is flying the drones in accordance with international law.

SIGNALS

Russia is using sabotage missions to counterattack NATO

The US has warned its NATO allies that Russia is “stepping up a covert campaign of sabotage and hybrid warfare against Ukraine’s supporters,” the Washington Post reported. Recent fires at storage facilities in the UK and Spain containing supplies destined for Ukraine are thought to have been arson attacks that are part of a wider Kremlin strategy: Russia has often resorted to covert attacks that minimize threatening Moscow while sowing discord elsewhere, noted the Post’s David Ignatius. “The conflict in Ukraine continues to inexorably climb the escalation ladder: Russia attacks, Ukraine defends; NATO pumps military aid into Ukraine, Russia responds by sabotaging NATO supply lines. Every step higher, the danger of a false step It gets worse.”

NATO-Russia tensions may be close to ‘flash point’

Fears are increasing about the possibility of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia. In the Indian publication Firstpost, international studies professor Nalin Kumar Mohapatra argued that NATO may need to withdraw part of its presence in Ukraine to counter the risk of angering Russia and entering a wider war. “NATO’s main objective is to use Ukraine as a base for its further expansion into the post-Soviet Eurasian space. This is the main flash point between NATO and Russia,” argued Mohapatra.