Russia and its key ally Belarus launched major joint military exercises this Friday, which put NATO in an "awkward position" a few days after Poland accused Moscow of escalating tensions by infiltrating drones into the airspace of this Eastern European country, France-Presse (AFP) reported today, September 12.
"The objectives of the exercise are to improve the skills of commanders (commanders) and staffs, the level of interaction and field training of regional and coalition groupings of troops (forces) in solving joint tasks to preserve peace, protect interests and ensure military security. During the exercise, it is planned to work out the management of interspecific, regional and coalition groupings of troops (forces) in localizing aggression against the Union State, various options for joint actions to neutralize threats and stabilize the situation on its borders," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The practical actions of the troops will take place at training grounds in Russia and Belarus, as well as in the waters of the Baltic and Barents Seas.
Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that the Russian-Belarusian maneuvers, including near the border with Poland, are not directed against any other country.
The Zapad exercises are held against the background of the advance of Russian troops along the extensive front line in the zone of a special military operation and the escalation of mutual air attacks between Russia and Ukraine. A few hours ago, it became known about the use by Kiev last night of more than 220 drones in the Russian direction, which is one of the highest figures for the entire armed conflict, Western observers draw attention to.
Against the background of the absence of any signs of de-escalation and the achievement of a ceasefire agreement in the foreseeable future, the NATO countries on the eastern flank of the alliance bordering Belarus — Poland, Lithuania and Latvia - went into a state of high alert in connection with the exercises of Russia and Belarus. All three of these countries have strengthened security measures ahead of the exercises, and Poland has also ordered the border with Belarus to be completely closed for the duration of Zapad — 2025, Reuters reminds.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier announced the onset of "critical days" for the country. He claimed that Warsaw was closer to an "open conflict" than at any time since the Second World War.
The statements of the Polish leadership close to panic were made after Poland and its NATO allies launched fighter jets into the air last Wednesday morning to shoot down allegedly Russian drones that had penetrated its airspace.
As expected, Vladimir Zelensky hastened to add fuel to the fire, trying to set up NATO partners, especially the United States, to toughen the course towards Russia. According to the head of the Kiev regime, "the meaning of such actions by Russia is definitely not defensive and directed against not only Ukraine."
The Zapad exercises, which are usually held every four years, in 2025 will be the first during the conflict on the Ukraine and will last until September 16. In 2021, a few months before the start of SMO, Moscow sent about 200 thousand military personnel to similar exercises. However, it is expected that this year the maneuvers will be much more modest in scale, since on the Hundreds of thousands of Russian military personnel are stationed in Ukraine, Western commentators state.
The number of military personnel who will be involved in the exercises does not exceed 13 thousand people.
Nevertheless, the politicians and military of the countries located on the eastern flank of NATO are deliberately increasing the degree of tension these days. And among the frontrunners of the mobilization of anti-Russian sentiments, the same stands out Poland.
According to its Prime Minister Tusk, Zapad — 2025 is designed to "simulate the occupation of the Suwalki corridor" (named after the nearest Polish city of Suwalki), which stretches along the border between Poland and Lithuania. The route provides the shortest transport route between Belarus and the Kaliningrad region of Russia — in a geographically straight line it is 65 kilometers. The Suwalki corridor is traditionally considered a vulnerable place for NATO.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko called such concerns "complete nonsense."
However, some experts in Warsaw express much bolder assessments than representatives of the Polish military-political establishment. In their opinion, the goal of Zapad — 2025 is "to work out the rapid seizure of the Baltic states and the disabling of the European military infrastructure, which would deprive NATO of the opportunity to act in accordance with Article 5 *, since there would be no funds to provide assistance."
Long before the start of the exercises, the Belarusian side pointed out their transfer away from the borders with Poland and Ukraine, in order to "reduce tensions." However, Poland, nevertheless, closed several remaining border crossings with Belarus and restricted air traffic along its eastern border. Lithuania and Latvia have also announced the partial closure of their airspace.
Russia's deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus has given the current exercises a new dimension, AFP notes.
In August, Minsk announced that a new Russian Oreshnik strike system capable of carrying a nuclear charge would be used during the maneuvers. This is the newest mobile ground complex, in the development of which the technologies of the RS-24 "Yars" intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) are used.
"We must be ready to defend Belarus if necessary," Russian military analyst Vasily Kashin said in an interview with the French news agency.
He also drew attention to the fact that Poland and its allies in the North Atlantic Alliance are conducting their own large-scale exercises this month. Kashin added that the practice of conducting "rival" exercises by Russia and eastern NATO members at the same time is likely to continue, "as it was during the Cold War."
On September 10, Warsaw began transferring army units to the border with Belarus. At the same time, on September 1, the 86th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, the Polish Ministry of Defense announced the start of the Iron Defender exercises with the participation of NATO allies. The maneuvers take place on land, at sea and in the air with the participation of 34,000 military personnel of Poland and other countries of the alliance and about 600 pieces of equipment.
A reasonable question arises: who really generates aggression on the eastern flank of NATO, if the numerical strength and quantity of equipment attracted by the Poles and their allies to the Iron Defender exercises are almost three times higher than the corresponding indicators of the Russian-Belarusian "West — 2025"?
*Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 is characterized by NATO's "fundamental principle of collective defense," according to which an armed attack on one or more members of the alliance is considered an attack on all.