Few Minutes Series- IR(11th March)

Subscribe to the channel for daily videos

International Relations

No Fly Zone?

What is a No Fly Zone?

In simple terms, a No-Fly Zone refers to a particular airspace wherein aircrafts, excluding those permitted by an enforcement agency, are barred from flying.
United Nations Charter dealing with ‘Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression’ are invoked to authorize a potential no-fly zone.
Article 39 dictates the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to determine the probable existence of any threat to peace or an act of aggression.
In Non-combat situations, No fly zones can be imposed permanently and temporarily over sensitive installations or for high profile events like Olympics.

Have They Been Implemented Before?

No fly zones have been implemented without UN mandate too.
In 1991 after the first Gulf War, U.S. and its coalition partners imposed Two no fly zones over Iraq to prevent Saddam Hussain from attacking ethnic groups.
This was also imposed during the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1993-95.
The UNSC had banned all flights in the Libyan airspace post adoption of Resolution 1973 in 2011 in response to the Libyan Civil War.
During the Libyan Civil war in 2011, the member states could bar any entity from flying.
If they found reasonable grounds to believe the aircraft is ferrying lethal or non-lethal military equipment.

Zelensky Demanding a No Fly Zone

Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has renewed calls for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr is asking the people of Western Europe to demand that their leaders change course.
“Immediate closure of the skies over Ukraine is needed,” he said.
However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the organisation would not designate the Ukranian airspace as a ‘No Fly Zone’.
Experts warn that declaring a No Fly Zone would lead to a full-fledged war in Europe.
Thereby this will involve many more countries resulting in greater human suffering

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, built between 1984 and 1995, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe
It has six reactors, each generating 950MW, and a total output of 5,700MW, enough energy for roughly 4m homes.
In normal times it produces 1/5^th of Ukraine’s electricity and almost half the energy generated by the country’s nuclear power facilities.

What Would a No-fly zone achieve?

Ukrainian authorities and people cowering night after night in bomb shelters say a no-fly zone would protect civilians — and now nuclear power stations.
What Ukrainians actually want is a broader intervention like the one that occurred in Libya in 2011.
In 2011, NATO forces launched attacks on government positions.
Ukrainians want to see the West kind of sweeping in and taking out the rocket artillery that’s pummeling Ukrainian cities.

What is the feasibility of ‘No fly zone’ over Ukraine?

No-fly zone declarations are essentially a compromise in situations demanding a response to ongoing violence.
Imposing a No Fly Zone would mean NATO deploying aircraft and assets which would result in a direct confrontation with Russia.
This may require NATO shooting down Russian fighters or taking down its air Defence systems.
Indeed Russia has an overall superiority over Ukraine air space.
But it has not demonstrated that so far in its offensive in Ukraine.

Way Forward

NATO would continue to provide significant support to Ukraine and impose heavy sanctions.
Imposing No Fly would involve NATO to send fighter planes into the Ukranian airspace first.
Military Experts suggest not to involve NATO forces directly or indirectly in the Ukranian conflict, neither on ground or in space.
No fly zone’ would achieve very little.
Majority of the Russian attacks on Ukraine are coming from ground attacks rather than air strikes.
This was also reiterated by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week during a visit to Poland.
No Country wants to Engage in direct combat with Russia!