The Russian Bear is on the move. Vladimir Putin's hard-line KGB communist thuggery is now extending well beyond meddling in the Ukraine, annexing territory at will, and assassinating any opposition who dares to voice they are willing to stand in his way.
A part of Putin's strategy is to stand firm against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an intergovernmental military alliance originally formed in 1949 that was brought into existence specifically to "contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area," which included being a unified force to protect members against the aggression of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). From day one NATO stood in opposition to Russian expansionism, and Vladimir Putin has not forgotten that.
After the fall of the Soviet Union over a couple decades ago, questions regarding the necessity of continuing the existence of NATO began to arise. With the aggressive activities being perpetrated by Russia of late, those questions have faded away, and membership in NATO has become an important strategy for a number of nations.
An important part of being a member of NATO is that it entitles a country to being defended by other NATO members should a direct attack against the nation be launched. NATO nations work together for the defense of their members, a strategy that also includes an anti-missile defense shield.
Missile defense systems largely emerged from President Ronald Reagan's ideas that his opposition dubbed "Star Wars." Since the development missile defense systems, components of the anti-missile shield has been deployed in various locations, largely in Western Europe to protect the members of NATO against a missile attack from the former Soviet Union.
Russia is still a strong opponent of anti-missile shield technology, and recently Russia's ambassador to Denmark said Russia could target Denmark's navy with nuclear missiles if the NATO member nation decides to join NATO's anti-missile shield effort.
The threat made by Ambassador Mikhail Vanin in an opinion piece he wrote for the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten sparked an angry reaction and came amid an increasingly Cold War-style standoff between Moscow and the West.
"I do not think that the Danes fully understand the consequences of what happens if Denmark joins the US-led missile defence," Ambassador Mikhail Vanin wrote in the daily.
"If this happens Danish warships become targets for Russian nuclear missiles."
NATO's missile shield was launched in 2010 and is due to be fully operational by 2025. Participation includes protection from attacks, and the responsibility to contribute radar and weaponry to protect Europe against missile attacks.
Denmark has pledged to supply one or more frigates equipped with advanced radar to track incoming missiles.
Denmark's Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said the remarks by the Russian ambassador were "unacceptable rhetoric" and "completely out of proportion".
The threat by the Russian ambassador is accompanied by the fact that in recent years Russia has been increasing the amount of incursions in the Baltic region by Russian military aircraft.
Russia is also revisiting an old Central American relationship the Soviet Union had with Nicaragua. The new rekindling of once-strong ties possibly includes providing Nicaragua with jet fighters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is going to be visiting four Latin American nations, including Nicaragua. These meetings follow a series of high-level Russian visits to Nicaragua last year. Last month, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu paid a two-day visit, and in January the head of Russia’s upper house of Parliament arrived. Russian leader Vladimir Putin visited in June.
The chief spokesman for the Sandinista Front on international matters, National Assembly Deputy Jacinto Suárez, defended the possible acquisition of the fighter planes indicating that Nicaragua’s relations with Russia have taken “a qualitative leap.”
During the period from 1979 to 1990 when the Soviet-supported Sandinista Front was in power, Moscow provided Nicaragua with Antonov AN-26 and AN-32 light transport aircraft and Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
Former Sandinista President Daniel Ortega won elections and returned to power in 2007. He was re-elected in 2011. His anti-U.S. political rhetoric has acted as an invitation to Russia, an invitation Putin was not likely to pass up accepting.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Sweden, NATO report Russian Military Planes over Baltic Sea - Associated Press
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