ARE RUSSIA AND UKRAINE SLIDING TOWARD A MAJOR WAR?

A possible serious military crisis is developing along the Russian-Ukrainian border. As I’m sure readers know, Russia seized the Crimean region from Ukraine several years ago and has quickly merged it into the Russian Federation. Ukraine wants the Crimean region back, and has issued a proclamation that it intends to make that happen (first link). Obviously, that would only be possible via a military action as Russia has no intention of giving it back. Therefore, Russia has embarked on a major military build-up along the Ukrainian border, showing it is prepared to defeat any Ukrainian military move to retake the Crimea.

The Russians have been moving long columns of tanks and armored vehicles to the border region in what could be a preparation for open war. There are many reports of both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries reinforcing their positions along their common border, and all it would take to start a major regional war would be a small miscalculation on either side. NATO and the USA have backed Ukraine in various statements, so there is the possibility that NATO and the USA may intervene on Ukraine’s side if a war breaks out. If this happens, the chance of a major global war becomes possible, and some observers fear a World War III could result from such a conflict. The second link, third link and fourth link add details about how this confrontation developed and include pictures and videos of armored vehicles on the move. It seems that a long column of tanks and armored vehicles on a railroad route are Russian vehicles, but it also seems that some links of armored vehicles moving in columns along roads may be Ukrainian armored vehicles. The fifth link reports on the possibility that if fighting starts, Russia may be prepared to send its forces deep into Ukraine.

President Biden, after a period of delay, finally contacted the Ukrainian leader about this confrontation and offered US support (sixth link). However, that link also reports that Biden has essentially snubbed Ukraine and has left it out of some key talks Biden has had with other national leaders. The link also indicates that Ukraine may want to join NATO, and that any such action would provoke a Russian response. Personally, I think Biden has been reluctant to contact the Ukrainian leaders as he is compromised by his own past actions involving Ukraine. During the US presidential campaign, several media outlets revealed that as Vice-President, Joe Biden had meddled in internal Ukrainian affairs, obtaining a high-paid board membership position for his son, Hunter Biden, with a Ukrainian energy company named Burisma. A Ukrainian prosecutor was investigating this action in a corruption case, and there was even a video aired on TV showing Biden bragging that he got the investigator fired by holding up a billion US dollars in foreign aid to Ukraine when Biden was Vice-President to President Obama. Given Biden’s past meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine, there would understandably be awkward moments in any current conversations between Biden and Ukrainian leaders. The seventh link offers details of the Biden family’s questionable connections to Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company.

Now, back to the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation. On one hand, I think any major military confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian military forces is almost certain to result in a Russian victory as Ukraine is outgunned. However, in an unexpected result, this could be a case where Russia would “win the battle and lose the war.” Russia stands to lose on three major strategic matters if it defeats Ukrainian forces and invades deeply into Ukraine. The first negative outcome would be that Ukraine would almost certainly apply for NATO membership, and in a wave of sympathy for Ukraine, NATO would quickly approve its membership. Russia would have no real way of denying the necessity of such an action by Ukraine and NATO. Secondly, a display of Russia militarily brutalizing Ukraine would shock NATO nations out of their complacency and they would all begin to devote far more resources into building up their military forces to combat Russia in a future war. Having NATO embark on a major military build-up would be an outcome Russia definitely does not want. Thirdly, Russia is seeking to set up a long-term role as an energy supplier to Germany and Central Europe via the Nordstream II project, a pipeline from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The USA is seeking to stop the project (eighth link), enabling more US and Arab oil to be sold to European nations. If Russia savages Ukraine, it will be seen as a major threat to all European nations and the Nordstream project is highly likely to be cancelled as Russia will be seen as a hostile and unreliable energy supplier. Russia wants this project very badly, and if it defeats Ukraine in a war with many casualties, this Russian project is almost surely doomed. Therefore, the political impacts of a tactical Russian victory over Ukraine could backfire badly on Russia. It could result in a strategic lose-lose-lose result for Russia even if it wins a tactical military conflict. Indeed, in the Great Game of global geopolitics, this outcome may be desired by leaders in the western world as well as in Ukraine. This entire matter may have very Machiavellian purposes.

Let’s hope that Russia’s deployment of military forces to its border with Ukraine is simply a matter of saber-rattling warning Ukraine to not provoke a military conflict. Hopefully, lives will be save by averting such a war. However, if a war starts and the USA and NATO begin sending reinforcements and military supplies to Ukraine, this could quickly escalate into a wider war that no one wanted to happen. Some links I’ve read warn that a World War III could be imminent. While it is possible, I do not think such an outcome will happen due to biblical prophecies about the latter days. Ezekiel 38-39 and Joel 2 foretell a great global World War III will occur at the very end of our age and that it will be so destructive that all life on earth would end if Jesus Christ did not return (Matthew 24:21-22). Ezekiel 38-39 contain a wealth of advance revelations about how this war will start, unfold and end. It reveals that it will begin with a surprise attack and invasion of the Western world and its global allies by Russia, China, Iran, etc. There is nothing in that prophecy about it expanding from a local war between Russia and Ukraine into a global war. As I have outlined above, a tactical victory by Russia “to teach Ukraine a lesson” could result in massive strategic defeats for Russia in its global goals.

For those wanting detailed information about what Ezekiel 38-39 reveal about an age-ending World War III, please read my article, What Ezekiel 38-39 Reveal about a Future World War III, as well as my article, Are We Living in the Biblical Latter Days?, so you can be sure the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy really does apply to our current global times.

My thanks to a reader for alerting me to a link cited below.

ARE RUSSIA AND UKRAINE SLIDING TOWARD A MAJOR WAR?

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