Serbia blasts top NATO general over Russia
Serbia’s defense minister blasted NATO’s top general March 12 for saying that one of the biggest threats for Europe is increasing Russian influence in the Balkans.
Aleksandar Vulin said that U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti’s statement last week during a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing represents the most “dangerous” anti-Serb statement since the Western military alliance bombed the country in 1999 over its bloody crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists.
The American general said he has seen an increase in Russian influence over his year and a half as supreme NATO commander in Europe and that he sees it as more threatening than in the Baltics, former Russian satellites Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Scaparrotti said that while the Baltic region in the north of Europe is crucial, those nations are now part of NATO and have a more stable position on the continent. He said he was more concerned with the support of Serbian people within the Balkans who are more susceptible to Russian influence.
Vulin, who is known for his pro-Russian stances, responded by saying: “Since 1999, there has not been a more irresponsible statement.
“By saying that the whole (Serbian) nation represents a danger for the Balkans is a call for the unification of all (Balkan people) against the Serbs.”
There are fears in the West that Russia is using its historic Slavic ties with Serbia to destabilize the Balkans, which has seen the worst carnage in Europe since World War II during the breakup of former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
“There’s no Russian influence in Serbia,” Vulin said. “Serbia is an independent nation that chooses its own friends.”
Scaparrotti said during the Senate hearing that “Russia’s at work in the Balkans. I think we’ve kind of taken our eye off the area.”
Serbia formally wants to join the EU, but its leaders have been intensively working with Moscow in fostering both military and political ties despite calls from the bloc that the Balkan state should align its foreign policies if it really wants to be a member. AP
Military reviews rules for helmet cams after Niger attack
U.S. military leaders are considering new guidelines for the use of helmet cameras on the battlefield after Islamic State-linked fighters in Niger exploited footage taken by a fallen American soldier to make a propaganda video that highlighted the killing of four U.S. forces.
Weeks after the deadly October ambush, people linked to the militants shopped around the grisly footage to media. When few expressed interest, the insurgents added music and propaganda, made a short movie and posted it online.
The Islamic State’s capitalization on its fortunate find after the northern Niger battle highlights the risk for the U.S. military of its men and women using the popular mini-cameras on missions.
Experts say military officials are likely to respond with tighter controls. AP
Russian military tests nuclear-capable hypersonic missile
The Russian military said it has conducted a successful test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile capable of sneaking through enemy defenses.
A video posted by the Defense Ministry March 11 showed a MiG-31 fighter jet launching a Kinzhal (Dagger) missile during a training flight. The ministry said the missile, which carried a conventional warhead, hit a practice target at a firing range in southern Russia.
President Vladimir Putin named Kinzhal this month among the new nuclear weapons he said would bolster Russia’s military capability and render the U.S. missile defense useless.
Putin said Kinzhal flies 10 times faster than the speed of sound, has a range of more than 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) and can carry a nuclear or a conventional warhead. The military said it’s capable of hitting both land targets and navy ships.
Putin said the missile already had been put on combat duty with a unit of Russia’s Southern Military District.
The Defense Ministry said in Sunday’s statement that the test launch proved the missile’s capability. It added that the new weapon has no equal thanks to its superior maneuverability and ability to dodge enemy radars. AP