Tuesday, May 4 2021 10:49

ArmInfo.The processes around Nagorno-Karabakh and Russia's influence on them were reflected in the report of the US Department of Defense Intelligence Agency on global  threats in 2021. The document has been prepared for hearings in the  Senate and published on the website of the Senate Armed Forces  Committee.

The report focuses on the threats posed by China and Russia to the  United States and its allies.

The document note, that the world is going through an era of global  strategic competition "in which the main rivals of the United States  China and Russia develop the means to challenge the military  superiority of the United States. In addition to military measures,  we are talking about actions in the" gray zone "such as the use of  proxy troops and mercenaries, cyberattacks, manipulation of  information, undermining the economic power of rivals, and so on.

The Russian armed forces are named in the document as a potential  threat to the very existence of the United States, as well as a tool  to support influence in countries along the perimeter of Russian  borders, with which Moscow can challenge Washington's global  leadership.

The report details the modernization of nuclear and non-nuclear  Russian forces, and said that Russia will significantly increase its  nuclear arsenal in the coming years through non-strategic means.

The section on conflicts notes that the Kremlin's need to remain the  preponderant security provider in what it calls the "near abroad" has  probably grown as Moscow's economic hold over the region becomes more  precarious in the face of external actors with greater financial  resources, such as China. 

At the same time, it is stated: < However, Georgian, Ukrainian, and  Azerbaijani security cooperation with NATO partners and other  external backers reflects an increasingly challenging environment for  Russia to exert security dominance.> 

The report notes that, Moscow's decisions to avoid direct  intervention in the Nagorno- Karabakh war and a limited response to  the mass protests in 17 Belarus, suggest the Kremlin is evolving its  tactics for maintaining control in the former Soviet space in  response to increased attempts by outside parties such as China, the  West and Turkey to gain influence in the region.

"The Russian-brokered ceasefire brought an end to the fighting in  Nagorno-Karabakh, while also strengthening Russia's military and  economic influence in the region. There are now troops on the ground  in all three countries in the South Caucasus and Russia is likely to  benefit from and continue to exert influence through the opening of  transportation and communication ties between Armenia and  Azerbaijan."

At the same time, it is stated:

In general, summing up the results of the interaction between Moscow  and Washington, the authors of the report come to the conclusion that  at the moment Russia is hardly interested in a direct clash with the  United States, but it will not give up its confrontation with the  West.