Russia’s Ambassador to London Andrei Kelin told Rossiya24 TV that the AUKUS agreement may escalate tensions in the Western Pacific region. “Of course, this may escalate tensions in that very calm region. Some countries may also show interest in creating nuclear fleets and they may possess resources for that,” he said, reported TASS. “The AUKUS pact primarily poses a threat to the nuclear non-proliferation regime,” Kelin stressed. “That is why it is necessary to look at the role of the IAEA [the International Atomic Energy Agency] in this regard,” he said. “We view this arrangement very cautiously and this situation is being analyzed in Moscow and there are a lot of questions about it. Politically, this deal has a serious negative political charge.”
The Russian General Staff, on the other hand, may see the submarine deal which is at the heart of the AUKUS agreement, as much more of a war-making strategy but one that is, at the same time, maybe unworkable. John Helmer, the dean of Western journalists on Moscow, published on his blog “Dances With Bears” on Sept. 22, an English translation of what he called the first Russian strategic assessment of the AUKUS deal. The assessment is published as an article on Sept. 21 in Vzglyad, “the leading strategy publication reflecting the Russian General Staff and GRU assessments,” authored by one Alexander Timokhin who is not otherwise identified. Timokhin basically paints a picture of a threat that China cannot ignore but at the same time a project for Australia which will be difficult to implement because of the lack of any of the components within Australia–the industrial base and the workforce, as well as the supply of components–which cannot be made up for by the U.S. and the U.K. Nonetheless, Timokhin views the AUKUS intention seriously. (https://vz.ru/world/2021/9/21/1119944.html)
“The hegemony of the Anglo-Saxons in the world is seriously shaken, both because of their own internal weakness, and because of the growth of China, and the sabotage of their system of power by Russia,” he writes. “It is quite obvious they will not give up their power over humanity and the benefits resulting from this in a favourable fashion.”
“It is worth recognizing that the world is on the verge of war. Australia’s agreement with the United States and Britain says exactly this. An ordinary world war with tens of millions of dead, as one option, or with hundreds of millions; after all, no one has canceled nuclear weapons. Such a war is almost inevitable,” he concludes. “Moreover, knowing what deadlines the ‘partners’ set for themselves, you can roughly understand the time for which they are preparing the ‘hot phase’. And looking at how other countries are preparing for the next world war, it’s time for us to take a critical, honest and non-biased look at how we are preparing for it.” http://johnhelmer.net/it-isnt-over-when-the-fat-lady-sings-the-first-russian-strategic-assessment-of-the-australia-uk-us-aukus-submarine-deal/