NATO is preparing for a possible war against Russia after the Kremlin tried to provoke tensions with the help of migrants on the border with Finland, Estonia and other member states of the alliance.
What is known about the growing risk of war between Russia and NATO
As the journalists of the publication note concerning the interview of the head of the logistics command of NATO JSEC, Lieutenant General Alexander Solfrank, NATO warned its member states that due to excessive bureaucratic red tape, the movement of the Alliance troops through the territory of European countries may encounter obstacles in the event of a conflict with Russia.
We are running out of time. What we do not do in peacetime will not be ready in case of a crisis or war, Solfrank stressed.
NATO's Joint Support and Sustainment Command (JSEC) in the southern German city of Ulm began its work in 2021.
Its task is to coordinate the rapid movement of troops and tanks across the continent, as well as logistical preparations, for example, the storage of ammunition on the eastern flank of the Alliance.
In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014, the creation of the OSCE reflected an assessment that NATO, after decades of post-Cold War detente, must once again be ready for a war in Europe that could break out at any moment.
The vast space and the fact that not all troops are based on the front line means that the Alliance must quickly transfer troops from their bases to the right place on the eastern flank, Solfrank emphasized.
He noted that at the height of the criminal war unleashed by the Kremlin against Ukraine, the occupying Russian army fired up to 50,000 artillery shells per day.
Therefore, we must create warehouses — for ammunition, fuel, spare parts and provisions, the NATO military officialnotes.
He stressed that the Alliance would have to contend with various national regulations, from the advance notice required to send ammunition to the length of military convoys and disease prevention.
We have an overabundance of rules, but the only thing we lack is time. Russia's war against Ukraine has turned out to be a war of attrition, and a war of attrition is a battle for logistics, the head of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer warns.
According to Solfrank, the so-called "military Schengen" should operate on the territory of the EU for the operational movement of troops and equipment.
He noted that NATO should not encourage Russia to miscalculate, creating the impression that Moscow may have a chance to win because of the Alliance's unpreparedness.
We have to be one step ahead. We must prepare the theater of military operations long before Article 5 is invoked, Solfrank said.
What is known about the Russian Federation's attempts to destabilize the situation on the borders with NATO
According to Newsweek journalists, the Kremlin is trying to stir up the migration crisis on the border with Finland and Estonia.
In particular, official Helsinki announced the closure of checkpoints on the Russian border.
Russia wants to cause harm or try to cause harm and trouble to Finland, that's clear, ambassador for strategic communications of the country's MFA Mikko Kinnunen said.
Last week, Finnish authorities announced the closure of four of eight road crossings with Russia amid a sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers in the country, which Helsinki says are ploys to push migrants across the border.
Norway also expressed readiness to close its borders with Russia in the shortest possible time.
Estonia, another alliance member bordering Russia, has also accused Moscow of sending refugees to its border without visas or residence permits.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that only the northern border crossing point with Russia — Raya-Jooseppi — will be opened starting Friday, and earlier, he claimed that Russian border guards are escorting migrants to the Finnish border.
The Institute for the Study of War said on Monday that this "apparent hybrid warfare tactic" on the border is reminiscent of actions taken by Russia and Belarus on the border with Poland in 2021 and is "likely similarly aimed at destabilizing NATO".
Employees of the Belarusian special services helped thousands of Middle Eastern migrants cross the border with Poland, which allowed the Kremlin to accuse NATO of aggression against Belarus falsely, ISW believes.
After decades of neutrality, Finland became NATO's 31st member in April this year. It was prompted to join the Alliance by the threat emanating from Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia, which shares an 830-mile border with Finland, was outraged by the move, especially since one of President Vladimir Putin's justifications for starting the war was the expansion of the Alliance towards Russia's borders.
According to Kinnunen, Moscow is repeating the tactics it used in 2015 and 2016, before joining NATO, when it "used people from the Middle East, Asia, Africa" to send migrants to its border.
At that time, Finland was not yet a member of NATO, and there was a certain misunderstanding in the country as to whether this was a purposeful activity by Moscow to violate the country's borders.
"If there was confusion in 2015 and 2016, now there is no confusion. Now everyone clearly understands that this is a malicious influence operation by Russia," Kinnunen said. "Russia may be ready to take action under the pretext of war or Article 5 of NATO in various parts of Europe to divide Western societies and create problems that may force us to reconsider our support for Ukraine."
According to Article 5, an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all and entails a collective response. Finland's non-discrimination ombudsman said Helsinki would continue to comply with international treaties and EU laws, protecting those who need it.
Kinnunen said that because Putin invaded Ukraine, "Russia is at war with the very essence of international law" enshrined in the UN Charter and that Russia is "using our obligations to those who seek asylum."
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry official Maria Zakharova said that Moscow is ready to work with Helsinki to agree on the border issue.
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