The situation in Ukraine is getting worse day by day, NATO’s Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Adrian Bradshaw, who recently visited Sofia, contends. In his view, Russia is trying to redraw the borders of independent countries, which poses threat over every European state. The visit of General Bradshaw to Bulgaria coincided with large-scale military NATO trainings in the Black Sea. Warships from the USA, Canada, Turkey, Germany and Italy, which previously moored at Varna port, are now in close proximity to the Crimea. The allies are holding military trainings, including air combat trainings and submarine hunting.

Another UK citizen told Daily Mail newspaper some time ago that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent spies onboard fishing vessels. According to Admiral Alan West, Russian agents were collecting data about the UK naval forces onboard disguised vessels. Admiral West also pointed out that spying vessels sailing in international waters were spotted by NATO ships in the North Sea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin put its Northern Fleet, some air-borne troops and the Western Military District on full combat alert within the frameworks of a sudden inspection. The Russian army reinforces the military group on New Land (Novaya Zemlya) and Franz Joseph Land archipelagos. Meanwhile NATO is holding military trainings near Crimea, where disputes about the property of the peninsular have been going on for over a year. Russia contends that Crimea is its property, because Russian Prince Vladimir was baptized there and the Ukrainians believe that 23 years have been enough to declare Crimea an integral part of their country’s territory. If we make a brief retrospection of the past 3,000 years, it turns out that the peninsular was 900 whole years in possession of the Iranian Scythians, followed by the Byzantium, the Greeks, the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Kamirians, Russia (Russia, Russian Empire and USSR-278 years), the Khazar Khaganate, the Goths, the Golden Horde, the Crimean Khanate, the Huns, Ukraine-23 years and the Genoa Republic-20 years.

The situation has worsened even more by the disgraceful decision of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the Ukrainian National Assembly regarding the special statute of Donbas district, the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics Alexander Zaharchanko and Igor Plotnitsky said in a joint statement, quoted by TASS agency.

The politicians are ready to put the future and security of all Europe under threat in their attempt to punish Russia. Meanwhile, the differences between the USA and some EU member states have been growing. Greece, Hungary and Cyprus openly showed their dissatisfaction with the sanctions against Russia. Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia are open for dialogue, rather than confrontation with Moscow. So far, Europe has been trying to keep a formal unity. However, it will find it very difficult to keep a long-term balance between the will of the White House and the national interests.

On the other hand, Kyiv is trying to bring the Europeans, yet in the NATO format, into military actions. However, peace will not become a reality, if civilians continue to fall victims of this conflict. On the contrary, the conflict will continue to inflame and the danger of a large-scale war in Europe will be near and Bulgaria will find itself in the eye of the storm.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov