Vladimir Putin deploys a sizeable Russian force of 140 ships and 10,000 troops as the greatest show of force in the Mediterranean Sea, as provocations by the US and NATO threaten territories. This latest move conveys to the west that Moscow will not mince its words or actions.
Moscow has always denied the allegations of invasion, but Washington persists its claims even with the UN security council vetoing the US.
Russian Forces Prepare for Maritime Drills
A drill with hundreds of ships and soldiers in the Med gathered by the Kremlin has demonstrated to Washington that the Russian armada will not back down, reported the Express UK.
The armada has a massive number of ships and men to engage in exercises that rival the heyday of the USSR in 1991. Vessels pass the Straits of Gibraltar to prepare for the scheduled drills and not for invasion.
Recently, three Russian vessels from the Northern Fleet had touched down in the Med Sea earlier.
These ships are Marshal Ustinov (battleship), Admiral Kasatov (frigate), Vice-Admiral Kulakov (destroyer) has transited the Gibraltar Strait to participle in the maritime activity, noted Daily Star Post.
Last February 4, the Russian Navy stated that three of its landing ships originating from the Baltic and North fleet had reached Port Tartus, a Russian naval base in the Syrian port.
According to Nikolai Yevmov, Russian Navy Chief, the ships will practice with other units. A report said that other exercises, not just the Mediterranean Northern and Okhotsk Seas, Pacific, and the northeast Atlantic, will kick off as Vladimir Putin flexes muscles.
The drill will be held in multiple locations to protect Moscow's interests in seas, and to challenge threats like the US and NATO. The Kremlin said the military movement is because of alleged escalation due to the Ukraine stand-off.
Mediterranean Drills a Prelude Ukraine Invasion
Putin said the large troop number on the shared border is to defend Russia, adding Ukraine joining NATO will never be acceptable.
The US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III tried to put doubt on the defensive intentions of Moscow. Mentioning the drills as more than ordinary.
General Mark Milley of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff compared it to the cold war. The expanse of exercises was broader than any held lately.
Even UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested that it is a prelude to an invasion of Kyiv.
Despite warnings by Putin, NATO has placed 4,000 soldiers in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland with hardware and support close to Russian borders.
The US committed to sending troops when they said no; 8,500 US troops are supposed to guard the eastern flank of the EU against 100,000 Russian troops, according to News Lanes.
At this point, President Putin cautioned Joe Biden that he was taking more than he could chew, ignoring a demand to back off Russian borders. He said the Ukrainians are tools used by the west to stage an offensive capability close to Moscow. Calling the west to turn back or face disastrous consequences.
Furthermore, he told the west it's either committing forces to fight the US and allies; or sanctions that won't work. Always one step ahead of weakening the US and struggling NATO, the Kremlin even has natural gas as a weapon.
It seems that Vladimir Putin has the ground covered and dominates the US and NATO using sly methods, as the EU fears the gas supplies cut off, and China is Russia's ally.