Soldiers from the Finnish Defence Forces operate the Tampella, a towed field gun, as they participate in the international military exercise in Norway. AFP
Soldiers from the Finnish Defence Forces operate the Tampella, a towed field gun, as they participate in the international military exercise in Norway. AFP
Soldiers from the Finnish Defence Forces operate the Tampella, a towed field gun, as they participate in the international military exercise in Norway. AFP
Soldiers from the Finnish Defence Forces operate the Tampella, a towed field gun, as they participate in the international military exercise in Norway. AFP


Could Finland and Sweden bolster Nato, yet weaken European security?


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April 17, 2022

As the nearly two-month-long conflict in Ukraine rages on, a number of triggers exist that could lead to a nuclear “third world war” in Europe. Nato’s further expansion on the continent, thereby posing a further threat to Russian security, could amount to one such trigger.

In fact it is Russian fears about Ukraine’s possible induction into the US-led western security umbrella that led to war in that country in the first place.

One will recall Moscow had demanded a written guarantee last December that Ukraine, formerly an entity within the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union thereafter before becoming independent in 1991, will not seek membership of Nato. But the 30-member alliance dismissed its demands and ultimatums, which ended up becoming the spark that lit the fire.

Today, however, Nato could conceivably add Finland and Sweden to its club, prospects that are just as worrying for the Kremlin.

Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre-long border with Russia, will next week explore the option of joining Nato when its parliament receives an intelligence briefing. Prime Minister Sanna Marin says Finland intends to make a decision by mid-summer. Sweden may not advance towards membership at the same pace as Finland, but it appears ready to join the alliance because of the war.

'An empty shot in the air' is how Medvedev described the news coming out of Sweden and Finland

Fears about a possible nuclear conflict have been raised across the continent, particularly after recent statements from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and US intelligence chief William Burns.

“An empty shot in the air” is how Mr Medvedev last week described the news coming out of Finland and Sweden. The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council hinted that, as a result, Moscow will consider deploying nuclear weapons out of Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave in the Baltic region that is sandwiched between Lithuania to its north and Poland to its south but, crucially for Sweden, lies a little more than 500km from its capital Stockholm.

Meanwhile, Poland, already a Nato member, is considering allowing the US to deploy nuclear weapons on its soil, prompting a Russian warning that it would respond with like-for-like measures.

Mr Burns, meanwhile, warned that a desperate Kremlin might use “tactical nukes” in Ukraine following what he described as military “setbacks” for Russia. “None of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons,” the CIA Director said. “Nato would intervene militarily on the ground in Ukraine in the course of this conflict.”

He, however, added that the Biden administration cares deeply about “avoiding a third world war – and about avoiding a threshold in which, you know, nuclear conflict becomes possible”.

In their statements, spokespersons for the US and Russian governments made clear the diametrical contradiction of their countries’ assessments of the expansion of Nato membership and its consequences. While the Americans see it as fostering peace and stability in Europe, the Russians see it as a provocative and destabilising move.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, has sent a warning to Finland and Sweden. Reuters
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, has sent a warning to Finland and Sweden. Reuters
CIA Director William Burns believes Russia is capable of using tactical nuclear weapons in the war. Reuters
CIA Director William Burns believes Russia is capable of using tactical nuclear weapons in the war. Reuters

As to why Moscow fears Nato’s expansion more than three decades after the Cold War ended, the answer lies in the events that unfolded after the Soviet Union collapsed. One such development was former president Mikhail Gorbachev’s failure – at least in the eyes of Russia’s elites today – to seek written guarantees from Nato leaders that the alliance will not expand into Eastern Europe by adding countries that were previously in the Soviet orbit, which it did in the intervening years.

Mr Gorbachev has in the past insisted that western leaders had assured him of no expansion, but he conceded no written guarantees had been provided.

Fast forward to 2022 and Russia, it seems, is seeking to push back against what it views to be an egregious act by the West.

With last week’s statement, Mr Medvedev effectively raised the level of the nuclear threat in Europe. Beyond that, he said, Moscow will significantly shore up its territorial and naval forces, as well as air defences, in the Gulf of Finland. He added that there would not be any "nuclear-free status of the Baltic" and that Russia would seek to restore balance by, in his words, rightfully deploying nuclear weapons in the region. While these remarks were directed at Finland and Sweden, the message will have been loud and clear in the three former Soviet republics in the Baltic region – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – as well.

The situation in Ukraine, meanwhile, is getting more dangerous. It is set to escalate further as more advanced weaponry arrives from the West, which Russia could intercept and destroy. Amid the lack of progress in negotiations between the two countries, and increased Ukrainian military self-confidence, fighting seems to have escalated around Kyiv once again, and not just in the Donbas region in the country’s east, which Moscow has sought to liberate.

Amid these developments, it is worth pointing out that the Biden administration is showing little interest in cooling the temperatures with the Kremlin. It continues to mobilise sanctions against Russia and block any support for its leadership anywhere in the world.

Determined to exclude Russia from the G20 summit this fall, the administration has put pressure on the host nation Indonesia to disinvite Moscow. Some parties are trying to persuade Washington to make the distinction between excluding Russia and disinviting its leadership from the G20 summit to avoid further antagonising the Russian people. But so far, it is not clear whether US President Joe Biden will accept such a compromise.

Mr Biden, who has been gradually ratcheting up tensions with Moscow, has made a number of accusations against Russian President Vladimir Putin, including describing him as a thug. He has also accused the Russian army of genocide inside Ukraine. While he made the statement in personal capacity, the question being asked is whether the President may using the pretext of what he characterises as “genocide” to intervene directly in Ukraine in the future.

As the temperatures continue to simmer over the war, it isn’t at all surprising, then, that Europe and the world at large are deeply worried about nuclear escalation.

If you go

Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.

Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com

A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com

RESULTS

1.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winners: Hyde Park, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)

2.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard

2.45pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

3.15pm: Shadwell Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 (TB) Dh575,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Blown by Wind, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer

3.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh72,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.

4.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh64,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Obeyaan, Adrie de Vries, Mujeeb Rehman

4.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.

Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history

4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon

- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.

50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.  

1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

Dubai Women's Tour teams

Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport 
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club 
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team

SERIE A FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
Roma v Udinese (5pm) 
SPAL v Napoli (8pm)
Juventus v Torino (10.45pm)

Sunday
Sampdoria v AC Milan (2.30pm)
Inter Milan v Genoa (5pm)
Crotone v Benevento (5pm)
Verona v Lazio (5pm)
Cagliari v Chievo (5pm)
Sassuolo v Bologna (8pm)
Fiorentina v Atalanta (10.45pm)

Updated: April 17, 2022, 2:00 PM`