The Black Sea Region continues to heat up. Here are the latest incidents (arranged from latest to earliest, more or less):
- Turkey complains that a Russian warship "brandished rockets" while passing through the Bosphorus.
- NATO deploys four (4) warships to the Black Sea, including a US GM Destroyer armed with Nuclear Cruise Missiles.
- Latvia accuses Russia of using Syria to cover up her invasion of Ukraine.
- VP Joe Biden visits Ukraine to reiterate US support.
- NATO offers membership to Montenegro.
- Turkey deploys tanks and troops near Mosul, Iraq, at the request of her Iraqi Kurd allies.
- Russia allies herself with Syrian Kurds, Turkey's sworn enemies.
- The British joins the NATO Bombing Campaign in Syria.
- Turkey detains four (4) Russian cargo ships at a Turkish Black Sea port.
- Russia detains five (5) Turkish cargo ships at a Russian Black Sea port.
- Russia stops work on the Turkish Stream pipeline.
- Two (2) Turkish submarines shadow the Russian GM Cruiser Moskva in the Mediterranean.
- Turkish submarine shadows a Russian warship passing through the Bosphorus.
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Background:
In early 2014, Putin forcibly annexed Crimea without encountering any significant Ukrainian resistance.
Bouyed by his Crimean success, Putin then moved against Eastern Ukraine. This time around, the Ukrainians decided to make a half-hearted stand. The Russian-led Ukrainian Separatist offensive eventually ran out of steam. But not after dismembering a significant chunk of Eastern Ukraine from Kiev. And not after Ukrainian Separatists accidentally shot down a Malaysian airliner with a Russian Buk Missile, killing everyone on board.
Today, both of the abovementioned areas have remained under Russian control.
But recent events indicate that, maybe, for not much longer:
Sunday, 11/22/15 - Ukrainian Nationalists blow up transmission towers that bring power to Crimea. The region has no electricity until now.
Tuesday, 11/24/15 - A Turkish F-16 shoots down a Russian SU-24 for violating her airspace near the Syrian border.
Wednesday, 11/25/15 - A Turkish aid convoy was bombed by Russian planes in Northern Syria (in apparent retaliation for the downing of the Russian SU-24).
Wednesday, 11/25/15 - Ukraine stops buying Russian natural gas and closes her airspace to all Russian aircraft.
Thursday, 11/26/15 - Germany announces that she will send Recon Tornadoes, refuelling planes, and a frigate, to "help protect" the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in its air campaign against ISIS in Syria (hhmmm... what can ISIS do against an aircraft carrier?)
Is there an emerging pattern in this series of events?
I would like to say, yes.
It appears that the Black Sea Region is about to be engulfed by a major conflagration.
Hopefully, this will result in the return to the Ukraine of all the territories she lost to Russia last year...
#BlackSea
#LiberateCrimea
#SU24Downing
#Ukraine
#Turkey
#NATO
#Russia
#Syria
#GeopoliticalGames
#WorldWarIII
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