World War III (Atlantic Resolve)

This timeline will illustrate how NATO Operation: Atlantic Resolve and the frequent surprise snap drills run by the Russian Federation (mainly the mid-March '15 drills) might have inadvertently ignited the Third World War.

Background
The Euromaiden was a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest which began on November 21, 2013 when Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych choose to suspend the signing of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement in favor of maintaining closer ties with the Russian Federation. The movement was initially limited to minor protests until a police crackdown led to a full-scale riot. The increasing unrest eventually led to the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution which ended with the ouster of President Yanukovych from power. Masked Russian soldiers without insignias took over the Supreme Council of Crimea and occupied strategic sites across Crimea. The Russian Federation annexed Crimea a few weeks later. In August 2014, Russian intervention in the War in Donbass became most visibly apparent due to numerous border crossings by Russian military forces into eastern Ukraine without permission from the Ukrainian government.

In response to Russian intervention in the internal affairs of Ukraine, NATO launches Operation Atlantic Resolve. American troops and vehicles are deployed throughout Eastern Europe, most notably the Baltic States. On March 16, 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to go on full readiness alert in snap drills throughout Russia and the Arctic. This order was given just one day after Putin revealed in a Russian television documentary that he was prepared to order a full nuclear alert in the event of NATO intervention in response to Russia's annexation the previous year. The Russian military snap drills including the deployment of bombers and ballistic missiles to Kaliningrad and Crimea.

Point of Divergence (March 17, 2015)
The unthinkable happens when an interception of seven Russian military aircraft by NATO over the Baltic Sea near Latvia leads to an aerial skirmish.

Start of the Third World War
The battle was swift and ended in a matter of minutes. One Typhoon fighter belonging to the Spanish air force was shot down while the Russians lost three Su-27's, two An-26's, and one An-12 transport plane. The remaining Russian Su-27 managed to make it back to Kaliningrad where the incident was reported.

President Putin strongly condemns NATO for the attack and authorizes fighter pilots to use their own discretion when facing close-up interception by NATO aircraft. On March 18, 2015, a Russian submarine is torpedoed and sunk in the Arctic. In response, President Putin authorizes the Russian Northern Fleet to commence unrestricted warfare against NATO ships in the Arctic Sea: The Third World War had begun.

Invasion of the Baltic States
On March 23, 2014, Russian military forces launch a full-scale invasion of the Baltic States. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is enacted; all members of the NATO Alliance, with the exception of Greece, declares war on the Russian Federation. American and other NATO forces already in the Baltic States fought back against the Russian onslaught and managed to inflict considerable losses on the enemy. However the Russians were eventually able to overpower NATO and occupy the Tallinn and Riga, the respective capitals of Estonia and Latvia. Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, fell the following week. By April 12, 2015, the Russian military had secured control over the Baltic States.

While NATO forces moved to establish a line of defense at the Polish border, President Putin announced the official annexation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Russian Federation. This move resulted in Russia facing much criticism by the international community. The United States considered going to the UN Security Council to recommend a number of resolutions to punish Russia but disregarded that idea due to the fact that the Russians would simply veto any resolution made against them.