A British regional minister has warned that if the NATO alliance implements a no-fly zone in Ukraine, it could trigger a “nuclear war”.
Mick Antonio, a member of the Welsh Assembly, has parents from Ukraine and visited Ukraine last week.
Mick Antonov said he believed “most Ukrainians” believed that if British and NATO forces were “directly involved” in the war, it would not be safe. However, he added that Ukraine needed weapons from other countries in order to have the “ability to fight”.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has called on Western nations to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine, but Britain’s defense minister has rejected the proposal, saying it would spread the war across Europe.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Ukrainian woman told the British prime minister that Ukrainians were urging Western nations to protect Ukraine’s airspace and establish a no-fly zone.
This emotional request was made by a Ukrainian woman to Boris Johnson while she was talking to the media.
“Ukrainian women and Ukrainian children are terrified by bombs and missiles falling from the sky,” said Daria Kalniok.
But despite Russian attacks on Ukraine’s urban areas and rising death toll, it is unlikely that Western countries will implement a “no-fly zone” to block any flights over Ukraine’s airspace.
What is a no-fly zone?
No-fly zone means that certain types of aircraft cannot fly within the airspace of a region. These restrictions are usually imposed to protect specific areas of a country from air strikes.
In addition, no-fly zones could be temporarily banned in the event of sports competitions and large public gatherings. Its main purpose is to prevent aircraft from entering within certain limits, in order to protect these locations from attacks and enemy aerial surveillance.
A British minister has warned that a “nuclear war” could break out if NATO allies implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
This type of ban is applied by military force and means, such as military surveillance, attack on enemy forces to prevent a possible attack on military installations, and shooting down aircraft that violate the ban.
If the no-fly zone is applied in Ukraine, it will mean that the military, especially, if necessary, NATO forces will be able to directly target Russian aircraft flying over Ukraine.
Why wouldn’t the West implement a no-fly zone in Ukraine?
If NATO forces collide directly with Russian planes or Russian warheads, it could escalate the fighting too quickly.
In this regard, the former senior officer of the US Air Force, General Philip Bradlow told a magazine: “You just can’t say that this area has become a no-fly zone, but you have to impose it through power.”
General Philip Bradlow also served as NATO’s supreme commander from 2013 to 2016. He added that although he also wanted to implement a no-fly zone in Ukraine, but it would be a very dangerous decision.
This would be tantamount to waging war. If we are going to declare (Ukraine) a no-fly zone, we have to eliminate the enemy’s ability to invade the area and we can enforce our no-fly zone.”
Tobias Elwood, chairman of the UK Parliament’s defense committee, has called on the NATO alliance to intervene in the Ukraine war in the face of civilian casualties and alleged war crimes, in support of a full or partial no-fly zone in Ukraine.
But NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday rejected a proposal to join the war in Ukraine, saying “we have no intention of entering Ukraine, either on the ground or in the air.”
On the other hand, British Defense Secretary Ben Wells has also made it clear that Britain will not help establish a no-fly zone in Ukraine, as doing so would cause Russian fighter jets to “fight all over Europe.” The defense minister added: “I will not start a European war, but I will make sure that Ukraine is provided with all possible weapons and we will support the Ukrainians so that they can fight (Russian forces) on every street.
The United States has also rejected the no-fly zone proposal for similar reasons.
In addition to these concerns, the West also threatens to use nuclear weapons if the war against Russia is intensified. This fear came to the fore when Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced that he had issued a “special” alert to Russia’s nuclear forces.
Most people think that President Putin did this just to show off, not to actually use such weapons.
Despite the horrific attacks on civilians in Ukraine, a no-fly zone is unlikely, as even the slightest hint of a world war could turn into a nuclear war.
No-fly zone imposed before
In 1991, after the First Gulf War, the United States and its allies established two no-fly zones in Iraq to protect certain religious groups from attacks. This was done without the approval of the United Nations.
Then, during the Balkan Wars in 1992, the United Nations passed a resolution banning unauthorized military flights into Bosnian airspace.
In addition, the UN Security Council approved a no-fly zone in Libya in 2011.
The no-fly zone imposed on Bosnia and Libya was enforced by NATO forces.