The Russian and NATO officials liked to say that despite the political collisions between Russia and NATO, their military cooperation developed well. Allegedly, militaries are more practical people, engaged in concrete matters, and this is why they come easier to mutual understanding.  

I heard that for the first time when Russian and NATO soldiers were peacemakers in Bosnia. Almost brothers in arms. That ended up in 1999 in NATO bombing Yugoslavia, in Evgeny Primakov’s U-turn over the Atlantic and in a quick march by the Russian peace-makers to Kosovo. They took the airdrome of Slatin, having forestalled the NATO forces and risking getting a blow from them. That march was headed from a conditioning-facilitated Opel car by General Viktor Zavarzin, today’s United Russia member and the chair of the State Duma Defense Committee. 

After the scandal out of that PR action was settled down, the Russian contingent joined finally the NATO troops in Kosovo. They began talking again about perfect cooperation in the field. However, that did not last for long, as our troops were ordered to come back to Russia. The whole matter was coming to Kosovo independence, which was strongly objected by Moscow.     

Last year, when it was celebrated two festive occasions – the 10th anniversary of the Fundamental Russia-NATO Act and the 5th anniversary of the Rome Declaration about making the Russia-NATO Council – the coordinated action by militaries was praised again.  

“They understand each other and work jointly easier than politicians do” shared with me his impressions that-time Russian Representative in NATO Konstantin Totsky. “People who not only used to learn how to fight against one another, but really planned such a war, turned out to be more tolerant and clear towards one another. I assure you that militaries have fewer problems than politicians do”.   

Well, it’s always politicians to turn out to be in charge.

The working plan of military cooperation, approved of in 2003, intended the “inter-operability”, i.e. ability by the Russian and NATO troops to cooperate in practice. That was about military exercise, Staff and computer-imitation exercise, also training given to military and civil personnel. Russia and NATO also began working in such a sensitive sphere as anti-missile defense of the seat of war.    

A supportive phone call by Vladimir Putin to George Bush, made on 11 September 2001, gave an impetus to a new stage of cooperation. Struggle against international terrorism became the main objective. Under that banner of the civilized world the Kremlin restored the Constitutional order in Chechnya. NATO rebuked it from time to time for “disproportionate” use of power. However, generally, it supported the Russia’s territorial integrity.      

The plan of cooperation in the military field for 2006-2007 has not been fulfilled completely, mainly due to postponing some events for later dates. The defense ministers have been meeting no less than once a year, and the Heads of General Staffs met at least twice a year. Working expert groups have been acting on the issues of military reform, non-proliferation of mass kill weapons, nuclear security, control over weapons, control over the air space, and peace-making. Joint military exercise and training have been done dedicated to anti-missile defense of the seat of war, searching and saving people in the sea, including the crews of submarines in emergency, dealing with outcomes of nuclear explosions, anthropogenic and natural disasters.     

In autumn 2006 a patrol ship “Pytlivy” took part in an anti-terrorist patrol raid in the Mediterranean Sea, and a year later same was done by another Russian ship “Ladny”. The Black Fleet seamen checked suspicious vessels jointly with NATO soldiers, exercised landing of the special groups on a stranger’s ship. With a special department created within the NATO-Russia Council it was started real exchange of intelligence data.    

The initiative of joint use of the air space was among most successful and promising projects. It was to start in a year or two and was intended to improve the security of flights over Europe. A pilot project of training the special units for struggle with drugs traffic in Afghanistan and Central Asian countries had also begun well. At the April’s Russia-NATO summit in Bucharest, where Vladimir Putin participated, it had been concluded an agreement about land transit to Afghanistan through Russia of the NATO’s non-flight military cargoes, excluding weapons and ammunition.  

All that was little known to the wider public, as the image of NATO was still kept up as that of a potential enemy and a mobilizing threat, for domestic use. Communication had been going on mainly between military commanders. The seminars and trainings were attended by military researchers and experts, while not much soldiers and seamen got experience of the “in-field” cooperation. That is, Russia-NATO cooperation has not involved wide military circles and has not been significant part of the military activities. Besides, it has also hung by a threat of changeable political conjuncture.  

It’s not clear yet how much it is undermined by the Russia-Georgia crisis. Both sides state that this is a temporary suspension. Lessening of the cooperative activities had begun long before the developments in the South Ossetia. That was caused with tensions about the US plans of deployment of the elements of the anti-missile defense in Czechia and Poland, also withdrawal by Russia from the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. On the first days after the Russia-Georgia war began the NATO General Secretary Yaap de Hoop Schaeffer suspended working by the Russia-NATO Council (meetings, visits). Russia responded with announcing of complete suspension of military cooperation. Besides canceled visits and meetings, that may mean canceling of the planned joint exercise (there was about ten rounds planned). Anyway, all the joint programs have been affected seriously now. They appeared and developed gradually, overcoming not technical but political and psychological barriers. This is why it is going to be even more difficult to restore those programs.