MAGAZINE
FALL 2020
Russian Invasion In 2014 , the military invasion by the Russian Federation Armed Forces started at the East of Ukraine . Despite Russia ' s attempts to display it as an internal conflict , the whole world saw that , even in the 21st century , an open armed aggression against a sovereign state is possible . The Ukrainian people , who have declared their desire to join the European system of values and norms and become a full member of the European Union , paid and continue to pay a terrible price . The price of this desire , according to the UN and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the period of 2014 to 2019 , amounted to 11,140 dead ( civilian and Ukrainian military ), including 38 children and the 298 passengers who died in the crash of the Malaysia Airlines aircraft on July 17 , 2014 . In total , 12,056 people were injured , including 128 children . Almost 1.5 million residents of eastern Ukraine were forced to flee their homes . The infrastructure of the occupied regions was destroyed , 27 percent of the industrial potential of Donbass was illegally transferred to Russia , and Crimea , together with its gas fields , was annexed .
In response to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict , the North Atlantic Alliance stepped up its support for the development of Ukraine ' s security capabilities . NATO has consistently held a clear position in support of Ukraine ' s sovereignty and territorial integrity within recognized borders . Such support comes to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a form of providing material and technical assistance , and advisory assistance and training of units with the help of foreign instructors . Since the beginning of 2014 , Ukraine has received technical assistance worth 11,274,881 euros from NATO . Additionally , NATO ' s task is to curb Kremlin ' s aggressive foreign policy against the EU and prevent it from escalating into an open armed conflict . It is to this end that NATO is implementing its deterrence strategy . event of aggravation of the situation by the aggressor . One such tool is the conduct of multinational exercises . It is clear that during military exercises military groups , together with a headquarters , are deployed and ready to perform training tasks . And in case of a crisis , such groups will be ready for combat employment within a couple of days . This is what deterrence of the enemy is all about . It ’ s a demonstration of strength and determination of intent . Moreover , it is a strong signal that the Alliance and its partners are moving from political statements to practical actions , demonstrating unity of their intentions . It is multinational trainings that are an effective tool for implementing a deterrence strategy .
Rapid Trident Now Consequently , starting from 2014 , the annual Rapid Trident multinational exercise transformed into one of the most powerful tools demonstrating not only a strong support for Ukraine from Western countries , but also deterring the aggressor from taking further steps against NATO , and specifically its member states along the Alliance ' s eastern border .
In 2014 , training programs changed from peacekeeping operations to full-fledged operations - planning and training of multinational tactical groups to conduct full scope operations aimed at ensuring security and stabilization of the situation in the area of responsibility .
Deterrence For Ukraine , one major aspect of deterrence involves the deployment of troops ( forces ) to a specific theater of war with subsequent conduct of collective ( joint ) training activities in order to prepare for the transition to the next stage of conflict and seizing the initiative . In other words , such a strategy is a demonstration of readiness to move to larger-scale actions in the
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