Vienna document

Looking back at the already pre -war, March period, we must pay tribute to the specialists of the main operational department of the General Staff of the Russian Army: they competently planned the deployment of Russian troops then just next to the border of Ukraine. There is such a “Vienna document on trust measures”-a special, concluded in 1990 (and consistently updated with the active participation of Russia in 1994, 1999 and 2011), an agreement between all 58 countries participants in the organization on security and cooperation in Europe.

The “Vienna document” provides that in order to prevent dangerous military activity during planned exercises, it is not allowed to expose more than nine thousand soldiers in the zone of such maneuvers without notifying. It doesn’t matter what kind of exercises they are, but as soon as one platoon was gained more than nine thousand, everything is necessary 42 days before the exercises to send notification. So that no one is worried that he was preparing an invasion there or something unpleasant, masking preparations for teachings.

So magnificent operators from the GOU GS The deployment of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine in March-May this year planned so that in any place the limit in nine thousand for the "exercises" of the troops (that operation-"Russian Spring" was called the exercises) was not exceeded. It was a difficult task, believe me - because it was necessary to expand four powerful groups and two more smaller groups. The groups were about 50 thousand people in combined -arms units alone, and together with the rear, special parts, aviation - just a little for 90 thousand, this is almost twice as much as what Russia began the second Chechen war. All this was scattered around the area so that the necessary concentration of troops in key directions was provided, and at the same time, not a single soul could reproach Russia for at least somewhere, at least in one zone of concentration of units and units, it violated the duties of the “Vienna document”.

Even in the Crimea, where, it would seem, the troops were nimble, not only surpassed not only the General Limit agreed upon by the Treaty of the Black Sea Fleet to deploy twenty -five thousand Russian troops on the peninsula, but also the total number of troops deployed for the operation (with the removal of the Black Sea Fleet itself) managed to fit only seven thousand six hundred people! Yes, the reserves of the Tavria group amounted to 1,1700 people - more than nine thousand, it would seem - a violation. But the 7th Guards Division and two brigades, the 33rd and 34th mountains, which constituted these reserves, did not leave their places of constant location. That is, the troops participate in the operation, they are in constant readiness for action - but there are no formally any teachings, so there is no need to declare anything and the rule about nine thousand does not formally act. Beauty!

The defense must be fixed, and you know that the USSR just on the strengthening of defense and broke off

When I looked at this truly magnificent sight of amazingly accurate operational planning, I involuntarily received a kind of aesthetic pleasure - as from contemplating the beautiful murder in its perfection (though intended for ugly purposes). But now I saw that the work done by GOU was appreciated, and the lessons necessary-about the exercises and the Vienna document-not only amateur esteans like me, but also professionals on the other, so to speak, the parties. The fact is that, in addition to Vienna, there is another document, in the existence and strict execution of which Russia is very interested. It is called the "fundamental act between Russia and NATO", signed in 1997 and consolidates the very legendary promises of the leaders of the three leading countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, Gorbachev’s data as a guarantee before the union of Germany. In Russia, it is believed that Gorbachev-de was given (and later confirmed to Yeltsin) a promise not to expand NATO east of the former border of contact with the organization of the Warsaw Treaty (ATS). So this popular faith is a very widespread misconception (and this is well known to diplomats and experts in relations with NATO): in fact, it was promised (and later fixed in the fundamental act) only the obligation to refrain from deployment (about the prohibition, noticed, we are not talking) on a permanent basis east of the former contact of significant number of troops. The size of "significance" is essentially concretized in the "Vienna document" - nine thousand in total.

It is clear in general that the appearance somewhere around the boundaries of the NATO troops significant in size is not too desirable for Russia-perhaps not fatal, not a threat, if we characterize the situation by military-operational terms. But any concentration of troops in itself inevitably carries a military danger (that is, the potential for developing a military threat in a military threat, behind which is already an attack). So to respond, planning in case of the worst option, in the presence of military danger, it is simply necessary. And why are the extra reasons for concern and expenses for the troops, if this danger can be eliminated with diplomatic methods? Therefore, the employees of GOU virtuoso played with the deployment of troops this spring - in order not to question and not cease the existence of the "Vienna document". Therefore, diplomats so stubbornly remind the NATOs with every convenient and inconvenient case about the fundamental act and the need to adhere to its provisions.

Just ensuring defense and security by other means, nothing unusual! And what, ask you, issued by "professionals on the other hand," I say then? Yes, about the very simple ones - about the announced new NATO operational plans. These plans are simple - now on an ongoing basis on the territories directly adjacent to Russia, NATO exercises will be held, in which the troops first will participate on the rotational basis, and later all twenty -eight countries of the Alliance will participate. Teachings are not constant deployment (see example with Russian deployment near the borders of Ukraine), no one is going to violate the fundamental act! And if the exercises even take place in the same place-at the training ground 18 kilometers from the Kaliningrad region, for example, there is one in Poland-and continuously, but the units participating in them constantly (and even better-with a break for two to three days) replace each other, then the constant deployment of the troops in accordance with the fundamental act is not. And who sways, that there are another landfill 65 kilometers from the first, and there are also landfills in Lithuania and Estonia, and there are also continuous exercises, and together it will be just a little, but more than the entire former 11th Army, which, after reforming and transferring under the command of the Baltic Fleet, and draws up the defense of the Kaliningrad special defensive area cut off from Russia ...

And there are still deployed weapons and technicians (so you need to deliver the soldiers only to jump into the tanks and went ...-Of course, of course) for the NATO quick response corps, more and more, but more than the former 11th ... and in Ukraine, by the way, the largest Yavorovsky landfill in the Lviv region was remembered here somehow very well, well for training for training. Tank formations - even better suitable than a significantly smaller landfill in Germany, and he is familiar with NATO troops since 1995 ... And Romania remembered his obligation to provide training grounds for training the allies for NATO ... And no one, which is significantly, was going to violate either the Vienna document, nor God forbid! - The fundamental act.

It’s just that on an ongoing borders on an ongoing basis, the NATO constantly maneuvering troops will be on a permanent basis, and the GOU GS (and politicians in the Kremlin) will experience about the same thing that Ukrainians experienced in the spring of this year. Of course, this is not the end of the world, just unpleasant - but the ratio of the forces of those against whom Russia must be ready to defend itself, and the Russian forces are 7.4 to 1 not in our favor, and in nuclear weapons 2.1 to 1 and also not in our favor. The defense must be fixed, and you know that the USSR was just on the strengthening of defense ...

In general, there is nothing tragic, but there are those new realities that must be taken into account after the “Crimean” and Russia finally rose from the knees. Because they know how to teach lessons not only in Moscow. But those who have seven and a half times more troops, and the economy is seventeen and a half times more powerful.

Igor Sutyan-London Military-Political Expert. A former employee of the Institute of the United States and Canada, in 2004 was sentenced to 15 years in prison for state treason. The verdict was called into question the human rights community and the European Court of Human Rights. In 2010, he was released as a result of the exchange of prisoners between Russia and the USA