Russia Probably Won’t Impose A No-Fly Zone Over The Black Sea After The Sevastopol Attack
The reality is that Russia has proven itself reluctant to escalate after every one of Ukraine’s major US-backed provocations, of which there’s now a laundry list, perhaps because it truly fears that the US might provoke World War III over whatever provocation it may be that prompts Russia to escalate.
An ATACMS missile loaded with cluster munitions exploded over a beach in Sevastopol over the weekend, injuring 124 people, nearly a fifth of whom were children. The Russian Ministry of Defense blamed the US for providing Ukraine with these missiles and inputting their satellite-obtained targeting data. Other reports claimed that an American reconnaissance drone was flying in nearby international waters at the time of the time, thus lending further credence to the aforesaid claim of involvement.
For as atrocious of a terrorist attack as this was, Russia still doesn’t appear to have the political will to shoot down or otherwise neutralize such drones that facilitate these strikes. It was concluded in March 2023 after a mid-air incident at the time that “Russia Had The UN-Enshrined Right To Direct The US Drone Away From Crimea”, but it didn’t follow up on this by imposing a no-fly zone in international waters. Russia still remains reluctant to do anything that could escalate and this likely won’t change.
With this observation in mind, last spring’s incident appears to have been an exception to the unofficial rule of Russia proverbially turning the other cheek or simply bombing some military target in Ukraine in response to every major US-backed provocation such as this weekend’s. The evidence in support of this thesis includes the Crimean bridge bombings, assassinations of political and media figures, strikes against oil refineries and strategic airbases, and even May 2023’s attack on the Kremlin itself, et al.
Time and again, Russia restrains itself and doesn’t climb the escalation ladder, with the absolute most that it’s ever done was carry out a large-scale bombing campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in fall 2022. Even that, however, wasn’t comprehensive and the damage was ultimately repairable. No symmetrical attacks were ever made, however, such as bombing the Rada or a bridge across the Dnieper. Accordingly, there’s no reason to expect Russia to climb the escalation ladder after this latest attack.
For that to change, Russia would first have to accept the Cuban-like brinksmanship crisis that could swiftly follow if the US decides to provoke one after its reconnaissance drones are shot down or otherwise neutralized, but there’s no indication that it’s prepared to do so. To the contrary, official rhetoric from President Putin on down (with Medvedev being an exception since he functions as the “bad cop” for relieving ultra-nationalist pressure at home) has been conciliatory, never escalatory.
While it’s possible that this is just a “psy-op” to “psyche-out” the West ahead of an abrupt change in policy in order to maximally catch them off guard, it’s much more likely that this isn’t the case and that such an explanation is just wishful thinking or “copium” from sympathetic Alt-Media influencers. The reality is that Russia has proven itself reluctant to escalate, perhaps because it truly fears that the US might provoke World War III over whatever provocation it may be that prompts Russia to escalate.
The aforementioned explanation might be described by some as another example of “copium”, but it still cogently accounts for why President Putin remains committed to his policy of not responding in a tit-for-tat way to any of Ukraine’s major US-backed provocations. Even asymmetrical responses aren’t seriously considered except for bombing a few military targets afterwards and sometimes hitting a couple of power plants, but those responses have had absolutely no deterrent effect as is indisputably known.
If these military-strategic dynamics remain unchanged, then more provocations can be expected, and they’ll continue characterizing this hybrid conflict until it finally ends. Russia’s pattern of behavior thus far suggests that it considers this an acceptable cost to pay for not risking World War III by miscalculation over any of these attacks. Regardless of whatever one’s views are about the merits of this policy, it nevertheless appears to be the way in which President Putin will continue approaching this dilemma.
"...the way in which President Putin will continue approaching this dilemma."
He's right, of course, as he always has been — the adult in the room.
I'd like nothing more than to see the endless diatribe of awful adjectives used to describe them, which the UK/NATO/US Axis elicits and deserves, somehow vindicated, to see them suffer in some meaningful way, although there really isn't any way their suffering could ever equate to the suffering they've caused and continue to cause. It's childish, as old as humanity itself: 'An eye for an eye!'.
Unpopular though Christianity and many ideas from the Christian Bible have become (And I'm not a bible basher!) there would seem to be good reason why they underpinned several hundred years of gradual development to make us what we are today. There is sense in the idea, 'Turn the other cheek,'.
There was a Scot(t?) someone-or-other on Solovyov Live this morning (Вести ФМ). Solovyov played that awful game, when he demonstrates how fluent he is in English, so they get an interpreter to do a live translation from English to Russian, and I was still half-asleep (BST is two hours behind Moscow time.) so I missed a lot of what was said. I did catch one important point: this 'Scot' (Apparently, he was born in Scotland.) from Yankee Doodle (La-La) Land pointed out the main goal of the US in their use of the Ukraine was to provoke a war with Russia with the specific intention of using this to control the American people. Yes, he's right, of course; and that does make the danger of escalation to nuclear apocalypse very real. The Americans, after all, have nothing to lose.
It's really just a waiting game: if the Russians can turn the other cheek until the spoilt-brat American bully has ranted and raved and run out of steam, until some other distraction attracts the attention of their delusion, Russia may thus save the world. Difficult though I've found it to come to terms with (I do SO want to see them suffer!) Putin IS right.
Putin is the problem. He has always thought that he had an understanding of German/French politics and that they would eventually agree something with Russia. In 2014, he agreed to the stupid Minsk agreement at a time when the Ukraine had only 4,000 battle-ready troops and had no Western weaponry and training at all. He stood in the way. In 2022, it was he who decided not to go in shock and awe style and take out all power stations, and other infrastructure, before invading. It was he who decided never to bomb any railway tracks to Poland carrying Western weapons (this remains the case till today). It was he who decided never to attack Zelensky (although he occasionally says "I may find my balls and attack decision-making centres one day") and to allow a constant parade of visits of Western leaders to Kiev without risk of attack. He decided in 2022 not to mobilise when it was clearly needed. Then at the end of the year, it was he who decided to attack power transmission architecture - which seemed like a big step , but was not in fact an attack on power generation facilities and could be repaired in days. He decided not to attack the bridges over the Dniepr. He decided to allow Global Hawk to direct attacks on Russia. He decided that his red lines on the Crimea were to be worthless. It was he who agreed a draft treaty in Turkey and agreed to pull his troops back before it was signed by Zelensky. It was he who offered to give back conquered territories in that draft treaty and to not demand sovereignty over the Crimea either. It was he who has decided not to respond to terrorist attacks within Russia itself. For me, the fact that Russia is a country you can attack at will with no repercussions is new information. I didn't realise that. Even now, he is angling to get the Ukraine to negotiate on the basis of the 4 oblasts - apparently Putin doesn't even want Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Nikolaev and Odessa. But there are 8, not 4, Russian-speaking provinces. I mean, the guy is fixing to lose. Whatever happens will be a strategic defeat for Russia.