Russia's military department strengthens relations with strategic partners.
God do not allow you to live in an era of change, said one of the wise men. We don't all seem lucky. We are at the turn of the day and it is not known how it will all end. And all this is due to the fact that the exclusive power of the United States in the world is falling apart at the seams, everything is moving towards multipolarity. How can we ensure the peaceful coexistence of many centers of power? Participants IX. The Moscow Conference on International Security was puzzled by this, which even the covid did not prevent in 2021.
Photo: Ministry of Defense Press Service
Even when NATO countries again unanimously ignored the Moscow Security Forum and refused to participate, it was clear that there would be no passionate discussions and disputes on the Moscow platform. Because he had no one to argue with. High-ranking military officials from foreign countries who came to Moscow, as well as those who took part in the online discussion on security and strategic stability issues, were unanimous in their threat assessments and from whom they came.
Of course, it would be very interesting to watch the reaction of the representatives of the Pentagon or NATO command, if they were among the participants in the conference, in the hall of the speech of, for example, the Minister of Defense of the People's Republic of China Wei Fenghe. Although he spoke of the United States in a third person without naming it directly, he was very disrespectful and menacing. Including Taiwan, which the Chinese People's Liberation Army “will never let go.”
And there have been many more similar allegations against the United States and NATO. For example, from a high-ranking Iranian soldier who spoke online, or from Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, who accused Washington of hostility.
The conference was traditionally opened by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. He set the tone for the issues at stake. He identified a new trend as a priority – the formation of global coalitions, the division of the world into “us” and “enemies”. Another recent trend, as Shoigu noted, is aggressive economic pressure as a means of forcing changes in the policies of sovereign states.
Given the composition of the conference participants, Shoigu paid special attention to the situation in the Asia-Pacific region. “As in Europe, advanced, highly prepared groups are being formed here and groups of strike aircraft carriers are being deployed.” In addition to states in the region, Alliance ships are increasingly participating in naval exercises, which increases the risk of incidents during military activities, “the minister said.
At the same time, he said, the situation in the APR is exacerbated by the presence of territorial disputes, as well as US plans to deploy missile defense systems in the region along with strike weapons, as well as medium and shorter-range missiles.
Among the strategic Shoig named Russian partners China, India, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Mongolia. According to him, the dialogue has spread to Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei. A solid society, given the huge potential of these fast-growing countries, which are home to more than half the world's population.
Shoigu also assessed the situation in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of most US troops from there. He did not rule out a resumption of civil war in the country, noting that a solution to the regional problem was impossible without the participation of neighboring countries, including Pakistan and Iran.
Among the key issues of international security, Shoigu named the strengthening of the terrorist threat in Africa, including Mali, the Central African Republic and Mozambique. According to him, Russia is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation with the countries of the black continent and with most countries in Latin America.
As for the situation in Europe, according to Shogu, “the tendency to strengthen military confrontation”. NATO is building a number of highly prepared groupings and paving the way for the operational transfer of troops to the borders of Russia and Belarus.
The alliance is changing from a regional to a global military-political alliance, whose main task is to control Russia and China, Shoigu concluded. The military confrontation in Europe over NATO policy “is consolidated for one year,” he said.
Shoigu criticized NATO's military activity near the Russian border, which, among other things, provokes the Kiev authorities to vigorously resolve the Donbass problem.
After clearly identifying the problems, Shoigu did not stop and reaffirmed his readiness to discuss these issues openly and with mutual respect. And he even named possible steps for deescalation. For example, the withdrawal of training areas from the contact line or a moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles in Europe.
Shoigu also outlined new topics for discussion that emerged as a result of military-technological progress: hypersound, digitization, and robotics. “Space and cyber orders are being formed as part of the armed forces of a number of countries whose main task is not defense, but the planning and conduct of offensive operations in their respective areas,” Shoigu said.
He ended his speech with good will and remembered the excellent musician and humanist Mstislav Rostropovich, who once told Shoigu that he knew how to stop the war.
“I'll put the orchestra on the front line, stand up and play what makes them stop, fold my arms,” he said. At the time, I had questions about this proposal. Today, however, I understand that he was right. After all, an orchestra is not just a collective of musicians. Above all, it is a team of experts in their field who have come together to solve a common problem. The Moscow conference is attended by real security professionals – an orchestra whose goal is to find ways to escalate and ultimately prevent armed conflicts in any part of the world, “Sergei Shoigu addressed the participants of the Moscow Forum.
There is no doubt that the orchestra of experts gathered in Moscow will play as it should at the invitation of the Russian Ministry of Defense. We can only hope that his harmonious remarks will be heard and appreciated by Western listeners.
Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov has identified several key issues of strategic stability. The General Staff is called the brain of the army. Not so long ago, General Gerasimov, as part of the Russian delegation, attended the work of the Russian-American summit in Geneva.
Gerasimov explained why it was possible to extend the START-3 agreement. “The Russian Federation and the United States have shown the same desire to extend it.” Both states are interested in the predictability of the development of the other party's nuclear forces, “said the general.
However, we must think about future agreements, believes the Chief of General Staff. Gerasimov explained why a dialogue on the future nuclear weapons control mechanism is necessary: new factors have emerged that determine strategic stability. It is about creating high-precision, hypersonic and kinetic weapons, strike drones. According to the Chief of General Staff, all these weapons “blur the boundaries between the potential of nuclear and non-nuclear weapons.”
The military leader emphasized: our country's nuclear policy is purely defensive. The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies, as well as aggression against Russia using conventional weapons if the very existence of the state is threatened, the Chief of General Staff confirmed.
What worries the Russian General Staff? Above all, it is about the progress of NATO infrastructure to the borders of Russia, the deployment of advanced formations on the territory of new members of the alliance. Units of NATO countries that have come from afar are permanently in Eastern Europe. And there are up to 10,000 such people. And the number of troops in the same Poland will grow.
Another threat to us comes from US missile defense equipment in Europe. For the use of naval missiles “Tomahok” with a range of up to 2400 km can universal launchers Mk-41 anti-missile systems Aegis Ashor deployed in Romania and in the future also in Poland. be used.
The General Staff notes the increased activity of NATO naval forces near the border with Russia, including in the Black and Baltic Seas. In addition, NATO members are about to provoke, which may end, no one knows how. Thus, on October 13, 2020, the British Navy's URO “Dragon” destroyer, which made a crossing with radar stations for weapons control and detection of air targets turned on for radiation, violated the right to innocent passage through the Russian Federation 22 km west of Sevastopol. A month later, US Navy destroyer John McCain distinguished himself. He broke the state border of the Russian Federation in the northwestern part of the Sea of Japan during access to Peter the Great Bay 93 km south of Vladivostok and deepened more than 2 km into the Russian territorial sea.
“This creates the preconditions for incidents that do not help reduce tensions in the military field,” Gerasimov warned.
Another area that he says the Western country is looking at is the Russian Arctic. “The shortest maritime road between Europe and Asia is located in the Russian Arctic – North Sea.” The Russian Federation has everything it needs to ensure the safety of navigation in difficult ice conditions, as well as to protect the Arctic ecosystem, “Gerasimov made it clear to alien lovers.
As for the formation of a multipolar world, the Chief of General Staff was not diplomatic and put everything on the shelves: “The situation in the world clearly shows that the period of exclusive domination of individual states has passed. The number of states with significant military economic potential is increasing, without which it is now impossible to solve regional and world problems. These include Brazil, India, China, Russia, the United States, European Union countries and other states that are centers of power on a global and regional scale. Their number will only increase. “
Washington's egocentrism was” under pressure “by comparing the” hegemon “to the BRIC countries.
However, Gerasimov also did not slam the door on his Western partners … According to him, “it is in our common interest to continue working on a peaceful political and diplomatic settlement of regional conflicts and crises to ensure strategic stability.”
Chief of General Staff he advised candidates for world domination “to show political will, wisdom and foresight.”
For seven years, NATO has avoided military contacts with Russia. But a holy place is never empty. As the Moscow Security Conference has shown again, Russia has someone to be friends with and discuss strategic stability.
By the way, the Russian military department actively used the conference time to negotiate with the military leaders of a number of countries. For example, with Azhira, Myanmar, Venezuela, Mexico, Serbia and other countries.
A characteristic touch of the atmosphere of these talks: during a meeting with Myanmar's Supreme Commander Min Aung Hline, Russia's defense, Minister Sergei Shoigu gave a greeting in Burmese, which is considered one of the most difficult in the world.
If there is mutual respect, there are no barriers, let alone a language barrier. Hopefully this simple truth will soon reach our Western partners.
