The Russian-Ukrainian war is still burning in Eastern Europe, but the confrontation between NATO and Russia is intensifying.
On July 22, a shocking news detonated the global media: two US B-52H nuclear strategic bombers insisted on intruding into Russia's airspace regardless of the consequences.
Although it was finally successfully intercepted by Russian fighters over the Barents Sea, resolving the imminent crisis, it also highlighted the dangerous situation of the imminent conflict between the United States and Russia.
In this cruel game of great power games, the clouds of war are looming over the European continent, and the storm is coming.
According to a number of media reports, on the day of the incident, two B-52H bombers flew from the direction of the Barents Sea, apparently intending to invade Russia's airspace from the north.
The Russian army has previously repeatedly accused the US military of carrying out provocative military missions along the Russian border.
Therefore, the Russian army has long been prepared for the abnormal movement of US bombers.
The Russian air defense forces acted quickly, sending MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighters in one fell swoop to confront US bombers over the Barents Sea.
The tension between the warplanes may lead to irreparable tragic consequences.
Fortunately, the Russian pilots were not in a hurry, they flew advanced MiG-31 fighters, and after dozens of minutes of confrontation with the US bombers, they finally forced the other side to turn around and flee.
The Russia Ministry of National Defense subsequently issued a statement strongly condemning the US nuclear bomber's blatant provocation of Russia's air defense red line, believing that this is a naked military provocation that is tantamount to "playing with fire" on a pile of explosives.
However, on closer inspection, it is not difficult to see that this is not an isolated case.
As early as June, the Russian side severely criticized that the US military reconnaissance aircraft used the airspace of the high seas of the Black Sea to provide intelligence support for the Ukrainian army's attack on the Russian military base in Crimea.
At that time, the top level of the Russian military said that the US military's move was tantamount to crossing a red line and aggravated the danger of direct military confrontation between the United States and Russia.
Now, the US bombers have once again maliciously tested and openly challenged the Russian air defense identification zone.
It is widely believed that the United States intends to drag NATO into the quagmire of direct military conflict against Russia through military provocations.
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, the United States and the West have spared no effort to exert pressure on Russia through economic sanctions, diplomatic isolation, military encirclement and other means.
However, in the face of the so-called "United Anti-Russian Front" led by United States, instead of bowing his head, Russia made a breakthrough on the Ukraine battlefield and successively won a number of strategic points.
In desperation, United States had no choice but to use more ruthless tricks, frequently sending military aircraft and warships to spy and provoke around Russia, and treating Ukraine as a "proxy battlefield" in the game between the United States and Russia.
Now, the US bombers are knocking on the gate again, which will undoubtedly push the contradictions between the United States and Russia to a new critical point.
In the past, the US military mostly used reconnaissance planes and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to "step on the line" around Russia.
However, this time it was the B-52H bomber, the most nuclear deterrent strategic weapon in the entire NATO system, and its provocative meaning is self-evident.
This also confirms from the side what Russia said: the move of the United States and the West is to escalate the war in Ukraine and push the already tense relationship between NATO and Russia to the brink of a full-scale rupture.
What is even more disturbing is that once the US-Russia conflict goes off, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Because at present, NATO's more than 500,000 troops are in a state of high combat readiness.
NATO official spokesman Farah Dakhlara announced on July 21 that the organization had developed its most comprehensive defense plan since the Cold War to counter what it called a "real threat" from Russia.
This will undoubtedly push the European continent to the brink of war.
And Serbia President Vučić's words are even more chilling: Western countries are in fact preparing for a direct military conflict with Russia, and the pace of action is faster than expected.
This means that a crisis of confrontation between the United States and Russia, comparable to the Cuban Missile Crisis, is quietly approaching.
With a calm analysis, it is not difficult to see the intricate geopolitical wrestling behind the Russia-Ukraine war.
For Russia, Ukraine is undoubtedly an important bargaining chip to defend its interests.
History and reality have proved that a pro-Russian Ukraine is vital to Russia's strategic security, otherwise it means that Russia will lose its strategic buffer, and NATO will go all the way east to Russia's doorstep.
Therefore, Putin's special military operation against Ukraine is intended to ensure that Russia's core interests are not infringed.
However, it is difficult for the United States and the West to accept a "disobedient" Russia.
In their view, Russia is the biggest geopolitical rival.
To this end, they are doing everything possible to inflict a heavy blow on Russia.
Under Russia's strong counterattack, United States' attempts have hit a wall one after another, but it is desperately unwilling to stop.
As a result, Ukraine, the former "breadbasket of Europe", has become the battlefield of Asura, and innocent civilians have fallen victim to the game of great powers, falling into the abyss of war and suffering from which it is difficult to extricate themselves.
In this war without gunpowder, the haze of war is shrouded, but peace is out of reach.
Looking back at history, any confrontation between major powers will inevitably lay the root of world peace and cast a shadow on human civilization.
The painful memories of World War II are still vivid, and the horror scenes of the Cuban Missile Crisis are still vivid.
Today, the war in Ukraine is stalemate, the United States and Russia are competing in Europe, and Ukraine has completely fallen victim to the wrestling of major powers.
The danger signs of military confrontation flashed one after another, and the slightest mistake could lead to an unpredictable chain reaction that would add another scar of blood and gunsmoke to an already devastated world.
In this era of sudden changes, it is particularly urgent to properly resolve the crisis.
-for-tat confrontation will only exacerbate contradictions, and mutually beneficial and win-win interactions can enhance understanding.
However, the road to peace is bound to be bumpy.
More than 800 days after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the crisis has not ended.
On the contrary, the outlook remains murky.
This reminds us that peace is never a gift from the sky, and that it requires the warring parties to put aside their prejudices and turn hostility into hostility in a rational and pragmatic manner.
There has never been a shortage of reasons for war in this world, but peace should become the norm in state-to-state interactions.
Dialogue and consultation are the only right way to resolve disputes, and war should never be an option.
We still can't make a conclusion about where the war in Ukraine is going and where the great power game between the United States and Russia is going.
What is certain, however, is that to this day, any arrogant military adventure will be unanimously rejected by the international community.
In this era full of uncertainties, we need the guidance of reason and wisdom, and we need to take history as a mirror and face the future.
War does not bring true peace, and only peace achieved in a peaceful way can last.
What do you think?
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