NATO states on alert as Russia and Belarus launch Zapad military drills

Poland shuts crossings and raises alert levels arsenic Russia, Belarus motorboat subject exercises adjacent NATO borders.

Russia and Belarus person begun large-scale subject exercises, sparking alarm crossed NATO’s eastbound flank conscionable days aft Warsaw accused Moscow of sending attack drones crossed Polish airspace, a large escalation that sent shivers done Europe.

The Zapad 2025 manoeuvres, which tally from Friday until Tuesday, are taking spot arsenic Russian forces proceed their slow advance successful Ukraine and intensify aerial strikes connected Ukrainian cities. The Kremlin insists the drills were planned good earlier the drone incident.

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“The objectives of the drills are to amended the skills of commanders and staffs, the level of co-operation and tract grooming of determination and conjugation groupings of troops,” Russia’s defence ministry said connected Telegram.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed the exercises, including those adjacent the Polish border, “are not aimed against immoderate different country.”

But tensions are moving high. Poland unopen its past unfastened borderline crossings with Belarus overnight, with authorities media successful Minsk showing guards laying barbed ligament on the frontier.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the coming play arsenic “critical days,” informing his state was person to “open conflict” than astatine immoderate clip since World War II.

“This determination to adjacent the borderline … is simply a effect to precise circumstantial assertive subject exercises against Poland that are starting successful Belarus,” Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said. “We are doing this for the information of our citizens. Russia has been behaving aggressively towards Poland successful caller days and for galore years … towards the full civilised world.”

Ukraine’s Foreign curate Andrii Sybiha welcomed his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski successful Kyiv up of talks connected shared information connected Friday.

“Against the backdrop of Russia’s escalation of panic against Ukraine and provocations against Poland, we basal firmly together,” Sybiha wrote connected X.

Baltic authorities measurement up security

Neighbouring Lithuania and Latvia, besides NATO members, person stepped up information and announced partial airspace closures. Belarus says the drills volition instrumentality spot adjacent Borisov, eastbound of Minsk.

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow’s intentions went beyond its warfare successful Ukraine. “The meaning of specified actions by Russia is decidedly not antiaircraft and is directed precisely against not lone Ukraine,” helium said.

Zapad exercises are usually held each 4 years. The last, successful 2021, mobilised immoderate 200,000 Russian troops soon earlier Moscow’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine. This year’s mentation is expected to beryllium smaller, arsenic overmuch of Russia’s subject remains committed to the battlefield. Belarus initially announced 13,000 troops would join, aboriginal halving that figure.

Polish officials judge the drills whitethorn simulate an onslaught connected the Suwalki corridor — the constrictive agelong of NATO territory linking Poland and Lithuania betwixt Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. Military planners spot the corridor arsenic 1 of the alliance’s astir susceptible points.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed those concerns arsenic “utter nonsense,” portion officials successful Minsk earlier claimed the exercises were shifted distant from NATO borders “to trim tensions.”

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies