Russia and Belarus have started their joint military drills on Friday called “Zapad” which means “West.”
At the same time Vladimir Putin’s forces are moving across the large front line in Ukraine attacking cities with missiles and drones.
Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are all on high alert as NATO’s eastern flank borders Belarus where the Zapad military exercises are taking place using live ammunition.
Poland has ordered the border with Belarus to be closed and the Polish military are firmly on standby, as are Latvia and Lithuania.
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Warsaw has placed 40,000 troops to the Belarusian border over fears the military drills could be a precursor to an attack on Poland, although this is highly unlikely.
The Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said Poland is facing “critical days” warning his country is closer to “open conflict” now than at any point since World War Two.
The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “These are planned exercises, they are not aimed against anyone,” and he has rejected claims the military exercises are “aggressive.”
RBC-Ukraine reported that the military drills also plan to practice nuclear weapons and the Oreshnik missile system, but only in simulation.
Yan Avsieiushkin, an analyst for the iSANS project said, “This sends a signal to the West, including regarding nuclear and hypersonic weapons, involving Belarus in this track, in particular as a continuation of the projection of Russian military and political power. It also creates a security and information curtain, maintaining tension.”
Retired colonel and former deputy director of the Information and Analytical Department of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Serhii Mishchenko (name changed at the request of the interviewee) told RBC-Ukraine, “This is a show of force to the US and NATO.
“But the Russians are afraid to strain relations with the West too much right now, because that could push Trump to impose additional sanctions.
“That is why the exercises are relatively small in scale. And they are far from the borders of Europe.”
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