Despite pressure from Ukraine for NATO to impose a no-fly zone to help this country resist Russia’s invasion, Western allies have repeatedly dismissed the idea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again insisted on the need for such a measure this week, after the bombing of a maternity and children’s hospital in Mariupol that left at least three dead, including a child, as confirmed by the mayor of the town to the BBC.
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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) already officially rejected at the beginning of the month the petition of Zelensky.
General secretary of the military alliance , Jens Stoltenberg, warned that a zone of excl Air usion could lead to a “full-fledged war in Europe involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering”.
Putin , for his part, said that any measure of this type would be seen “as participation in an armed conflict by that country”.
Officials in the United States have also reiterated that President Joe Biden has no interest in support such an exclusion zone.
But why, despite Russian attacks on residential areas in Ukraine and the increasing number of civilian deaths, does the West refuse to implement this no-fly zone?
What are no-fly zones?
An exclusion zone Aerial refers to any region of airspace where it has been established that certain aircraft cannot fly.
Can be used to protect sensitive areas, such as royal residences, or can be es temporarily established during sporting events and large gatherings.
In a military context, an area The fly-by-pass policy is designed to prevent aircraft from entering prohibited airspace, generally to avoid attacks or surveillance.
And its implementation has to be enforced by military means.
This may include surveillance, preemptive strikes against defensive systems, or shooting down aircraft entering the restricted area.
A no-fly zone over Ukraine would mean that military forces, specifically NATO forces, would directly confront any Russian aircraft seen in those skies and would shoot them if necessary.
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Why doesn’t the West establish a no-fly zone in Ukraine?
If NATO forces get involved with Russian aircraft or equipment, the risk of a rapid escalation of the conflict.
“We believe that if we do that, we will end up having something that can turn into a total war in Europe, implicating many other countries and causing much more human suffering,” NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said earlier this month.
For this reason, the organization made the “painful decision” to strengthen sanctions and support for Ukraine, but “without directly involving NATO forces in the conflict in Ukraine, neither on its territory nor in their airspace.”
“You don’t just say ‘that’s a no-fly zone’. You have to enforce a no-fly zone,” former US Air Force General Philip Breedlove previously told Foreign Policy magazine.
The general, who served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander of 2013 to 2016, noted that while he supports calls for a no-fly zone in Ukraine, it is a very serious decision.
“It is equivalent to going to war. If we are going to declare a no-fly zone, we have to eliminate the enemy’s ability to shoot and affect our no-fly zone”.
UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace made it clear that the UK would not help impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine because fighting Russian jets would cause “a war across Europe”.
After the bombing of the Mariúpol hospital, the UK Foreign Minister, Liz Truss, ruled out the idea again, arguing that the best way to protect the skies Ukrainians is through “anti-aircraft weapons”, which London is already sending to Kiev.
USA. has also ruled it out, for similar reasons.
The additional risk of any escalation in a conflict with Russia is the specter of nuclear weapons.
This fear became evident after the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that he had placed Russia’s nuclear forces on “special” alert.
Many have interpreted his action mainly as a way to draw public attention and dissuade others countries to participate in the war, rather than to indicate a real intention to use those weapons.
But even the slightest indication of a world war that could turn into a nuclear war means that, despite From the horrific scenes of civilians under attack, the likelihood of a no-fly zone in Ukraine is slim to none.
Have no-fly zones been used before? air exclusion?
After the first Gulf War in 1991, the US and coalition allies established two no-fly zones in Iraq to prevent attacks against some ethnic and religious groups.
This was done without the support of the United Nations.
In 1992, during the Balkan conflict, The UN passed a resolution banning unauthorized military flights in Bosnian airspace.
The UN Security Council also approved a no-fly zone as part of the military intervention of 2011 in Libya.
The areas of Bosnia and Libya were reinforced by NATO forces.
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