19FortyFive: No-fly zone in Ukraine is a 'really stupid idea'
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky again called on NATO to introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, knowing that such a thing is not feasible. First of all, because it would literally require US and NATO combat aircraft to engage in a direct military clash with Russia.
Although the idea of a no-fly zone was discussed by Western officials in the early stages of the conflict, it was generally recognized as a failure.
- writes in the online publication "1945" (19FortyFive) military observer Peter Suciu.
He also recalls that no-fly zones were rarely used in the past. They have only been deployed three times in history: over parts of Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War, in Bosnia in 1992, and in Libya in 2011. It is important to note that in all these situations, the US and NATO enjoyed overwhelming air superiority. in order to forcefully impose their decision on the local "authoritarian rulers".
In 2015, in Syria, on the contrary, it was decided not to introduce anything of the kind. The reason was not hidden: US warplanes in this case could become not only the target of Syrian air defense systems, but also (most importantly) collide with Russian aircraft.
The effectiveness of no-fly zones is also questionable. To some extent, this worked against Iraq and prevented the warring parties from using Bosnian airspace, although it did nothing to stop purely ground military operations. In Libya, according to Suciu, this was already a serious problem, since it spread over a large territory, and NATO aircraft faced a threat from man-portable anti-aircraft systems.
Ukraine is much larger in area to patrol, and NATO pilots will be vulnerable to attacks not only from Russian ground forces and aircraft in Ukraine, but also from S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems from Russian territory
- explains the observer of "1945" and concludes: the decision to introduce a no-fly zone can easily draw NATO into a war with Russia, even if this is what the leaders of Ukraine most of all want.
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