The military operations of the Russian Federation in Ukraine is gradually raising tension of provocation for drawing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into war with Russia. On the European divide, is the continuous supply of weapons to Ukraine by NATO, which is provoking Russia into decisive action. On the other divide, is Russia’s resolve to strike at weapons depots within the territory of the military operations which may provoke NATO into war with Russia.
While the West has been conscious of the possible outbreak of third world war if members states are involved in Russian operations on Ukraine, NATO, United States (S.U.) have been supplying weapons to Ukraine.
President Joe Biden on Monday ordered $200 million military assistance to Ukraine. Russia had cautioned against any military assistance from the West, threatening that any plane with military inscription will be brought down.
Russia, accordingly, threatened last Saturday that convoys of Western arms shipments to Ukraine may be considered legitimate targets.
All sides appear to be marching words with actions. As the U.S. airlifts weapons to Ukraine, Russian missiles hit a large Ukrainian base near Poland, border territory of NATO.
NATO had earlier threatened to protect its territory, and accordingly, reactivated the organization’s response force for the first time after the second world war.
The Defence Ministry of Russia had disclosed that the air strike at the training facility near Poland destroyed a large stock of weapons supplied to Ukraine by foreign countries, which were warehoused at the training facility. The Russian defence ministry added that the strikes killed “up to 180 foreign mercenaries”.
It was noted that the Western defence alliance, NATO, may be closely drawn to war with Russia after the air strikes at the Yavoriv International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security, a base 15 miles (25km) from the Polish border, where NATO military instructors previously trained soldiers for Ukraine.
While NATO allies are on standby within the war zone, sympathizers or Russian allies who include China, North Korea, Sudan in Africa, India, and others, are on red alert.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had declared in a Tweet: “the brutality must stop.” Britain had also acknowledged that the strike was a “significant escalation.”
The national security adviser to the White House, Jake Sullivan, had also threatened that any attack on NATO territory would trigger a full response by the alliance.
Russian defence ministry spokesperson, Igor Konashenkov, disclosed that Russia deployed high-precision, long-range missiles in the strike on Yavoriv and a separate facility in Starichi. He reiterated that “As a result of the strike, up to 180 foreign mercenaries and a large amount of foreign weapons were destroyed.”
The 360-square km (140-square mile) facility was identified as one of Ukraine’s biggest, and the largest in the western part of the country.