Posted on 03/10/2014 11:10:50 AM PDT by McGruff
Nato is to deploy reconnaissance planes in Poland and Romania to monitor the Ukrainian crisis.
It gave the go-ahead for the flights on Monday, a Nato spokesman said.
"All Awacs [Airborne Warning and Control System] reconnaissance flights will take place solely over alliance territory," the official said.
It comes as Russia cements its control of Ukraine's Crimea ahead of Sunday's referendum to join Russia. Ukraine and the West say this is illegal.
In the latest move on Monday, armed men - said to be Russian troops and local militias - seized a military hospital in Crimea.
The attackers marched into the hospital in the regional capital Simferopol, threatening staff and some 30 patients.
Pro-Russian troops are also blockading Ukrainian troops across Crimea.
Moscow has officially denied that its troops are taking part in the blockades, describing the armed men with no insignia as Crimea's "self-defence" forces.
The government in Kiev - as well as the US and EU - accuse Russia of invading Ukraine, in violation of international law.
Nato said the surveillance flights would "enhance the alliance's situational awareness".
Last week, the organisation said it was reviewing all co-operation with Russia and stepping up its engagement with the government in Kiev.
Unrest in Ukraine erupted in November after former President Viktor Yanukovych's last-minute rejection of a landmark EU deal in favour of a bailout from Russia.
Mr Yanukovych was ousted last month, and a new government has been voted in by the Ukrainian parliament which Russia says was a "coup".
NATO observation planes.
Watch out, Vlad.
Next come the drones if you don’t watch it.
He’ll ship more nuclear material to Iran and more weapons to Syria. You see, as his Putinistas here tell it, Putin is a swell friend of Christianity.
No move required by Vlad for this meaningless gambit. It is in essence not a move.
They are pretending to act
Obama keeps sticking little appendages into Russia’s face....
but Putin just laughs of course.
These spy planes will have pretty good sidelines seats to watch Russia finish its takeover of Ukraine (for better or worse), that’s about it.
Which we will be watching anyway from our spy satellites right from on high, directly above the action.
BFHD.
The more military actions the US gets into, the more the establishment
of the GOP and Dems lose public support.
IMHO, the “cat is out of the bag”, as more and more people start to see through the politics and see the bare ugly face of using the US military in wars that are not related to national defense.
We are inviting blood bath with our pin-pricks.
All NATO is doing is monitoring Soviet (I mean Putinista) action. Putin’s bed wetting supporters on FReeRepublic will crack and cry here, but steady people should not let this minor measure bother them.
There are loyalty issues in the Ukrainian military, that are sure to complicate issues should they come to blows with Russia. Many units will defect to Russia, and many will not have the stomach to fight (Especially those from the East).
In Russia, military assets come to you.
You should go work for the Ukrainian government. Unless you already do.
that’s insane and provocative. we are not enemies of Russia and/or Ukraine. neither are we allies.
Fly into Russian air space and we could be at war. Stupid...just stupid...
This is not about troops and materiel ratio. Russia’ economy will crumble under the weight of war, occupation and having to feed the occupied territories population. For Russia it will be a war of aggression, for Ukraine -the war of liberation. Not everybody in Russia has the stomack for it. Us does not have to get involved militarily.
The tank number is interesting to me. Ukraine is very “heavy” on paper.
Of course, most of the Ukraine troops in the area will not fight.
This is a civil war. We would be wise to stay out of it.
None of that Francis Gary Powers stuff.
LOL!
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