In the wake of Russia's bickering against the United States over Syria, a military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed nations is in the offing. As tensions continue to flare up in the Middle East, it is inevitable that, at some point, powerful governments will have their hands full defending their positions in the midst of the bloody 5-year conflict in the region.
The newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets anticipates that the Russians will bump heads with the Americans in the battlefield soon. It has also compared the tense circumstance with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Considering that the threat to hit Syrian Forces has grown by each passing day, Moscow cannot afford to sit back and watch its ally endure certain risks at the expense of yielding altogether its gains in the Middle East conflict. The tabloid shares that such move will definitely lead to World War III.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not merely fighting Washington in the Arab World. His policies in Europe have long been considered a threat. As Western nations express their concerns about Russian military movements near the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Moscow is also wary about NATO expansion across the continent. With a US missile defense shield being set up in Europe, the potential to escalate miscalculations into a full-blown war is getting bigger.
With Russia confirming its move to put nuclear-powered Iskander missiles in Kalingrad near the Polish border, the situation may have gotten worse. These projectile weapons, which can destroy targets 450 miles away, is within range to hit Berlin.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier points out that, compared to the Cold War, the current situation is more perilous.
According to CNN, Moscow has further upped the ante as a large-scale civil defense exercise was held in preparation against a nuclear attack.
Just recently, US Secretary of State John Kerry has called for an investigation against Russian airstrikes that hit the rebel-controlled areas in Aleppo. The move has prompted Washington to stop communicating with Moscow.
Since 2014, the situation with Putin has been tense when he annexed Crimea into the Federation. Moscow's apparent involvement in cyber operations against US databases has further complicated the status quo.
