The British Times published an article on the crisis between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the escalating tension after Moscow built up its forces on the border with Ukraine.

The article, prepared by Roger Boys, Times editor for diplomatic affairs, highlighted that the indications are that the war season in the east has arrived, as the newspaper's correspondent reports from the front line near the Ukrainian Donetsk airport that there are preparations for war, including long trenches that recall the trenches reinforced with sandbags that It was used during the First World War.

The writer said that the situation has become alarming, and Richard Moore, the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, described Moscow as a "serious threat", the same description concluded by the NATO foreign ministers now meeting in Riga, Latvia.

The writer believes that it is as if Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to shout to the West, "Forget about China for a bit! I'm here ready to go, the engines are running, take me seriously!"

He said that the Russian leader is dealing with the situation with a mixture of overconfidence, megalomania and hatred, which could ignite an all-out war in the region.


What drives Putin to escalate?

The writer explained that what is happening now in the region, or what is about to happen, is not preparations for a new war. Rather, it comes within the framework of the old war that erupted in 2014 following Russia's annexation of the Crimea and is still continuing until now.

It has claimed the lives of thousands of people and displaced nearly a million civilians, and hardly a day passes without an exchange of fire between its conflicting parties.

For the writer, the question now is whether Russia is preparing to launch a new offensive to reach a settlement in its favor over some areas, and another question is what causes Putin to wade through mud and blood through his military campaign, which will inevitably lead to the collapse of relations between East and West?

The article believes that there are 3 reasons that may push Putin to choose an all-out war, the first of which is his quest to use Ukraine as a bargaining chip to enter into a direct dialogue with US President Joe Biden on it. Ukraine is a separate country from Russia.

The second factor, according to the writer, is Putin's concern about shifts in the military balance with Ukraine. Turkish drones were a decisive element in the defeat of Russia-backed Armenia in its war with Azerbaijan last year.

Those Turkish planes are now in the possession of Ukraine.

The third and final factor, according to the author, is that the Russian leader cannot accept that Ukraine has an independent foreign policy in any way, and may be willing to risk war if it is the way to prevent other countries from accessing what Russia considers its exclusive area of ​​interest.

The writer summarizes the idea that if the Kremlin does not have the final say in Kiev, then no one else should.