Kiev can only try to launch an attack on Crimea with US backing, which will prove to be a disaster for Europe, writes Asia Times columnist Stephen Brian. The analyst suggested that Ukraine’s planned spring offensive was likely being prepared at the Pentagon.
The United States is providing a huge amount of military hardware for this attack. It includes deck equipment that can support German-made Leopard II tanks, which weigh more than 62 tons, Bayen explains.
Ukraine depends on US intelligence and, most likely, US air force. There is not enough time to train pilots on the F – 16, and there are no modern replacement fighters that could be launched into combat.
The expert believes that American planes can be painted with Ukrainian identification marks and NATO pilots will fly them. These aircraft will fire at the enemy with air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.
It is difficult to say how Russia can respond to a direct challenge. The most likely Russian response could be an attack on warehouses and concentration areas in Poland and Romania – and, almost certainly, on airfields supporting military conflict, the observer pointed out.
