Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 and carved off the strategically vital peninsula of Crimea. Since then, Russia has supplied money, training, arms and military advisers to separatist forces in the Donbas region of southeast Ukraine. And now Russia may be looking seaward to consolidate his control over the waters of the Black Sea.
About the Black Sea
- The Black Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia.
- It lies to the east of the Balkans(Southeast Europe), south of the East European Plain in Eastern Europe, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia in Western Asia.
- It is supplied bymajor rivers, principally the Danube, Dnieper, and Don.
- The Black Sea is bordered by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
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- It makes it a region of strategic importance & a potential maritime flashpoint.
- The mix of languages, cultures, alliance memberships and economic size among these nations is striking.
- Most of its coasts rapidly ascend.
- These rises are the Pontic Mountains to the south, bar the southwest facing peninsulas, the Caucasus Mountains to the east, and the Crimean Mountains to the mid-north.
About the geostrategic importance of the Black Sea
- Russian interest: The Ukrain is annexed by Russia and it recent buildup in Ukrain can probably be seen as a signal to the West of how relentless Putin will be on pressuring Ukraine, and of his deep opposition to it joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
- Now Russia may look seaward, and consolidate his control over the waters of the Black Sea which is about one third the size of the Gulf of Mexico.
- NATO’s interest: The Black Sea is bordered by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine
- NATO has three full alliance members among this group (Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria), and two close partners in Ukraine and Georgia (Russia occupies land in both).
- Like the South China Sea, this is a potential maritime flashpoint.
- Additionally, it is likely to become a rich source of hydrocarbons, which will only exacerbate tensions in the region, as described in a recent studyby the Atlantic Council.
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NATO
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is also called the North Atlantic Alliance.
- It is an intergovernmental military alliance between the 30 European and North American countries.
- The organization implements North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949.
- NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.
- NATO's Headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium.
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