Previously we noted that despite tiny NATO-member Estonia not actually sharing a border with Belarus, its government ordered snap military drills and the erecting of additional barbed-wire along its border with Russia in a message of solidarity with Poland amid the migrant standoff.
Fresh EU sanctions on Minsk, coupled with persisting clashes at the Belarus-Poland border, mean that things could easily escalate to a military conflict between the two countries, and into a broader NATO-Russia-Belarus standoff, given Moscow is Lukashenko's closest ally. Alarmingly, on Thursday the Belarusian government cited a noticeable uptick in NATO aircraft activity "along the state border of Belarus".
Via CNN
The Belarusian Defense Ministry statement was translated by Russian media sources: "Our radio and radar reconnaissance means registered constant increase in the intensity of flights of reconnaissance and combat aviation of NATO member states along the state border of Belarus, including in the airspace of Ukraine," it said.
More broadly, the defense ministry connected the heightened activity to a threatening NATO build-up at its border - something which was persistently emphasized during last year's crackdown on anti-Lukashenko protests, for which Minsk was slapped with EU sanctions the first time around (with fresh EU sanctions being readied this week as Lukashenko stands accuses of orchestrating the migrant crisis).
According to further details of the allegation via TASS:
The total number of these flights had doubled recently, while flights by US aircraft increased by 50%, the ministry said. Unmanned surveillance aircraft continue to be used a lot, it said. The aircraft fly as close as 15-20 kilometers from the Belarusian border, according to the statement.
Belarus says the number of NATO flights has "almost doubled" in recent years. "These facts confirm the buildup of military activity near our borders and testify to the further escalation of the situation around Belarus," the defense ministry said.
Chaotic scenes continue to emerge at border camps made up of mostly Middle Eastern migrants seeking to make their way to Germany or other Western Europe countries:
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Belarus authorities on Thursday cleared the main camps where migrants had huddled at the border with Poland, in what could potentially be a turning point in a crisis that has spiraled in recent weeks into a major East-West confrontation. European countries have for months accused Belarus of having deliberately created the crisis by flying in migrants from the Middle East and pushing them to attempt to illegally cross its borders illegally into Poland and Lithuania.
Minsk, backed by Moscow, rejected those accusations in a stand-off that had left thousands of migrants trapped in freezing woods at the border. In a cruel sign of the harsh conditions there, a couple, both injured, told the Polish Centre for International Aid, an NGO, early on Thursday that their one-year-old child had died in the forest.
At least eight more people are believed to have died at the border in recent months. A spokesperson for the Polish border guards said the camps on the border in western Belarus were completely empty, which a Belarusian press officer confirmed. Belarus state news agency Belta said the migrants had been brought to a warehouse in Belarus away from the frontier. “These camps are now empty, the migrants have been taken most likely to the transport-logistics, center which is not far from the Bruzgi border crossing,” the Polish spokesperson said.
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday warned that rising prices for housing and food were affecting the readiness of U.S. armed forces.
Inflation has emerged as one of the biggest issues facing the Biden administration, as ordinary Americans complain about the price of everyday items — from gas to bread.
During a Pentagon briefing, Austin said he was temporarily increasing payments to help troops pay for off-base housing in places where rents had increased by 10 percent or more.
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Taiwan reportedly deployed advanced fighter jets on Thursday in a show of strength and cooperation with the U.S. amid rising tensions with China, which claims sovereignty over the democratically run island.
Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, showed off the 64 upgraded F‑16V fighter jets at an air force base in Chiayi, The Associated Press reported.
The news service noted that the fourth-generation fighter jets have the ability to track 20 targets at a time and use advanced weaponry, adding that the U.S., China and Russia possess fifth-generation aircraft.
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China‘s military now is capable of a full-scale invasion of Taiwan and has added new missiles and amphibious ships to the People’s Liberation Army for an attack on the island democracy, according to the latest annual report of a congressional China commission.
Additionally, the standoff between China and Taiwan has become unstable because the ability of the U.S. military to deter a Chinese attack is now in a period of “dangerous uncertainty,” the report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission concluded.
China, which insists Taiwan is part of its sovereign territory, also has rapidly increased the number of intermediate-range missiles targeting the self-governing island state from 30 to 200 over the past several years. New amphibious ships have been added to the Chinese navy and civilian vessels are being prepared to move troops across the 100-mile-waterway in a potential future invasion.
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The PLA [People's Liberation Army] has already achieved the capabilities needed to conduct an air and naval blockade, cyberattacks, and missile strikes against Taiwan,' according to a report from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a congressionally-appointed agency designated to provide national security and economic advice to Congress and the president. PLA leaders now likely assess they have, or will soon have, the initial capability needed to conduct a high-risk invasion of Taiwan if ordered to do so by CCP leaders. They will continue enhancing this capability in the coming years.'
The report found that the PLA's current sea and air lift capacity could launch an initial landing force in Taiwan of at least 25,000 troops.
'Given these developments, it has become less certain that U.S. conventional military forces alone will continue to deter China's leaders from initiating an attack on Taiwan,' the report found.
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November 18./TASS/. Attempts by the Ukrainian authorities to resolve the conflict in Donbass by force would be a move towards another disaster, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Channel One on Thursday.
"NATO weapons are being pumped into Ukraine," he told the TV channel. "All this encourages hotheads to think about trying to solve the Donbass problem through force in conditions when the Minsk agreements are stalled, that is to make one more step towards a new disaster," Peskov said.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov called for global unity to prevent a new Russian "escalation" against Ukraine during a visit to the Pentagon on Thursday, as Kiev and Washington warn of what they say is unusual Russian military activity. The U.S. military has so far stopped short of describing Russia's buildup as a preparation for attack. On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin conceded that "we're not sure exactly what Mr. Putin is up to." Reznikov met Austin at the Pentagon and cautioned about the consequences of any Russian military moves.
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"This possible escalation will certainly have catastrophic consequences for the whole of Europe," Reznikov said, according to a Pentagon transcript of a portion of his remarks. "Whether it will take place depends to a large extent on the unity and determination of the civilized world to stop the aggression.
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, to the Pentagon today reaffirming America's unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The leaders discussed a range of security issues, including Russia's destabilizing actions in the region, and they agreed to work closely together to advance the shared priorities outlined in the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Defense Frameworksigned on Aug. 31.
"[The] framework created a foundation for strengthening our strategic defense partnership," Austin said. "I look forward to discussing how we can implement that framework to continue to advance our shared priority to counter Russian aggression and to deepen our cooperation in such areas as Black Sea security, cyber defense and intelligence sharing."
The secretary reiterated the U.S. commitment to building the capacity of Ukraine's forces to more effectively defend its sovereign territory.
"We are monitoring closely recent Russian military movements on your borders. And we made clear our concerns about Russia's destabilizing activities and our desire for more transparency," Austin said.
To promote regional security, Austin said he will continue to consult with Ukraine, allies and partners in the region on security initiatives.
Austin also encouraged Reznikov to maintain progress on reforms.
"We remain committed to supporting Ukraine's efforts to implement deepened comprehensive reforms in its defense sector. We know that's hard work. But doing it is key to Ukraine achieving its Euro-Atlantic aspirations," the secretary said
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Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov called for global unity to prevent a new Russian “escalation” against Ukraine during a visit to the Pentagon on Thursday, as Kiev and Washington warn of what they say is unusual Russian military activity.
The U.S. military has so far stopped short of describing Russia’s buildup as a preparation for attack. On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin conceded that “we’re not sure exactly what Mr. Putin is up to.”
Reznikov met Austin at the Pentagon and cautioned about the consequences of any Russian military moves.
“This possible escalation will certainly have catastrophic consequences for the whole of Europe,” Reznikov said, according to a Pentagon transcript of a portion of his remarks.
“Whether it will take place depends to a large extent on the unity and determination of the civilized world to stop the aggression.”
Austin, who was a four-star Army general when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, told Reznikov the Pentagon was closely monitoring Russian movements on Ukraine’s borders.
“And we made clear our concerns about Russia’s destabilizing activities and our desire for more transparency,” Austin told him, according to the Pentagon transcript.
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