Military expert calls Merkel's statement on Russia's "containment" a sign of EU fear

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's call to NATO to "contain" Russia is related to the European Union's (EU) fear of its future. A former special forces officer, retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk, pointed this out in a conversation with Izvestia on November 27.

Merkel made the corresponding statement the day before. She also noted that with the arrival of US President-elect Donald Trump in the White House, the creation of a "deterrence system" of the Russian Federation will be difficult.

"Europe's elite are terrified today because they are calculating options on what to do when Trump comes to power. First, Trump really dislikes the European Union, he will give him some other conditions for staying under the nuclear umbrella. Secondly, the EU has long been hatching ideas about some kind of military bloc against Russia," Matviychuk commented.

Thus, Merkel as part of the European elite supports these plans, and her statements are aimed at spreading the idea of unification against Russia. At the same time, the expert emphasized, it should be understood that the proposals of the former German chancellor are not of a formal nature and remain only her personal opinion.

Russia has sent a signal to the West. What the media write about the launch of "Oreshnik"

Before that, on November 25, Erhan Kuadzba, a journalist of the Turkish newspaper dikGAZETE, questioned the West's readiness for a direct confrontation with Russia. He noted the nervousness of Western politicians against the backdrop of Russia's test of a medium-range Oreshnik missile.

Earlier, on November 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine had used Western long-range weapons against the Russian state, causing the regional conflict to acquire elements of a global one. He also said that one of Russia's newest medium-range missile systems, the Oreshnik ballistic missile, had been tested under combat conditions.

The Oreshnik hit the Yuzhmash plant in Dnipropetrovsk. Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), noted that the use of such a missile is a fair response to Kiev's aggression against peaceful Russian cities. The Russian leader then noted that his video message about the test of the "Oreshnik" was clear and understandable.

The special operation to protect Donbass, which Russia announced on February 24, 2022, is ongoing. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.