April 4, 2024 | The Telegraph
The West cannot let Putin open a second front in Europe
The Balkans, oft-neglected, are a ripe prospect for Russia’s aspirations, and are becoming increasingly febrile and dangerous
April 4, 2024 | The Telegraph
The West cannot let Putin open a second front in Europe
The Balkans, oft-neglected, are a ripe prospect for Russia’s aspirations, and are becoming increasingly febrile and dangerous
Excerpt
Today marks Nato’s 75th anniversary, and Vladimir Putin’s grand strategic vision remains resolute: its dissolution.
Emboldened by recent advances in Ukraine, the direct peril to Nato affiliates such as Poland and the Baltic States remains high. Yet they are not alone. The Balkans, oft-neglected, are also a ripe prospect for Russia’s aspirations, and are becoming increasingly febrile and dangerous. Britain and its allies neglected the Balkans at their peril over a century ago. We cannot afford to make the same mistake again.
The U.S. ambassador to Nato took the unusual step of warning this week that Russia is using disinformation, cyberattacks, and other nefarious tactics to “destabilise” the Western Balkans. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a case in point. Three decades after war ravaged that country, Serbia – backed by its friends in Moscow – is are reigniting ethnic tensions, jeopardising European security. Europe and the U.S. need to put the fire out before it engulfs the region.
Ivana Stradner is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery is a senior fellow.