POLARIS 21.

This is coolbert:

Crimean War II? French/NATO invade Crimea? Not however 1853. Think 2021.

NATO multi-nation amphibious exercise a notional war-game opponent designated “Mercure”.

"notional: adjective - Of, containing, or being a notion; mental or imaginary. Speculative or theoretical."

"Debunking the 'Russian Aggression' Canard: Was Nato Actively Rehearsing for an Amphibious Assault on the Donbass?"

By Arnaud Develay October 15, 2022 courtesy the LewRockwell.com Internet web site.

"On November 18-December 3, 2021, a NATO maritime exercise was organized by the French Navy (Marine nationale) off the Mediterranean coast and along France’s Atlantic seafront."

"Code-named POLARIS 21, the large-scale simulation aimed to 'mobilize all components of the French Navy, including its latest-generation assets, land and air assets from the French Army and Air Force, as well as combat ships and aircraft from France’s partner nations: the United States, Spain, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom.'…"

Consider too with hindsight 20/20 as to the notional opponent of the NATO exercise [and as well understood I imagine by all participants]:

"The technical file goes a long way in describing a fictitious geopolitical environment which describes 'Mercure' (the Russian Federation) as the main threat in this war-game simulation."

“Mercure is a huge country straddling North Asia and Europe that forms a federation of 16 autonomous regions with no direct access to the Mediterranean. The legislative power is represented by a parliament of 400 deputies elected by direct universal suffrage for 5 years. There are several political parties all represented in parliament. The executive branch headed by the head of government appointed by the president. The president elected for 6 years. Current president Virgo Medvetine has managed to stay in power for 20 years and has silenced his main opponents. He advocates a strong Mercure and exacerbates the nationalist feeling of the Catharist people…

POLARIS 21 evidently went off without a hitch. My fear at the time would have been that the paranoid and mistrustful Russian would have inferred that this NATO military exercise was a REHEARSAL for an INVASION of Crimea. 

Historical events provides examples of such conclusions being drawn by the Soviet/Russian and THOUGHT to be correct. Think Proud Prophet and Able Archer from the era of the Cold War.

coolbert.