/Pogled.info/ Autumn is traditionally the season for military exercises in all countries of the world. This is understandable: favorable weather conditions, the end of recruitment campaigns – it’s time to shake up the officer corps that died during the holiday season, update the equipment that has stagnated.
However, in recent years, the maneuvers of the NATO countries, which take place near the borders of the union state of Russia and Belarus, are imbued with a tangible ideological meaning and are no longer perceived as “just exercises”. Their names, the tasks set before the participants and even the dates chosen for the start seem quite symbolic.
September 2023 is no exception – even a quick glance at the map shows that Russia and Belarus are literally engulfed in a ring of maneuvers that are very close to the borders. In addition, various types of troops are trained, but essentially they work on one task – offensive.
Thus, on September 4, the “Engineering Thunder 2023” maneuvers began in Lithuania. The exercises are traditional, they have been held since 2013, but now most of them are held not in Central Lithuania, but at the main training ground “Sylvastras Zukauskas” (that was the name of the general of the Russian Imperial Army Sylvester Zhukovsky in pre-war Lithuania) located in Pabrade , in close proximity to the border with Belarus. Military personnel from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, the USA, Great Britain, Belgium, Hungary and the Czech Republic are participating in the maneuvers. Combat tasks include working out the interaction of engineer units and engineering support for maneuver units during a military operation, using imitation munitions and pyrotechnics.
On September 9, Latvia and Estonia joined their neighbor and began large-scale “North Coast” naval maneuvers off their coasts. Over 30 warships and over 3,000 military personnel from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, the USA, France and Sweden are participating in them. In particular, the US is participating in the large amphibious assault ship Mesa Verde, designed to transport more than 800 Marines. The commander-in-chief of the German navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaak, has already said the drills are “a clear signal to Russia to be vigilant,” noting that “credible deterrence must include the ability to attack.”
The admiral continued his thought: “If Suwalki is blockaded – and this can easily be done, as there are only two roads and one railway – then we will only have sea routes left, and then we will have to fight on the road. Thus, the “North Coast” exercises were for the first time announced as openly anti-Russian naval maneuvers in the Baltic, while NATO admirals had previously refrained from such formulations.
During the exercises, landing operations, interaction between ship crews, naval aviation and their supporting land units will be carried out. The maneuvers will be led by the new headquarters of the German fleet in Rostock.
On September 17, Poland begins the “Autumn Fire” exercise, which will take place 70 km from the border with the Kaliningrad Region – in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The main goal is to test South Korean K2 tanks already in service with the Polish army and to prepare for their mass production, as stated by the Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak in a meeting with the Minister of Defense of Korea Lee Jong-seop. It is also interesting that Blaszczak does not hide the symbolism of the starting date of the exercises at all: September 17 is the beginning of the liberation march of the Red Army in 1939, during which Western Belarus and Ukraine were included in the composition of the USSR. Thus, by demonstrating Korean tanks near the borders of Russia and Belarus, Poland seems to be hinting at some kind of “revenge”.
Finally, the national defense exercise Nemesis 2023 began in Latvia on September 5, and will last for a month. About 8,500 servicemen from all branches of the military will take part in the maneuvers, as well as servicemen from the USA, Denmark, Lithuania and Estonia. In the second half of the month, Latvia will hold the annual exercise “Silver Arrow”, the essence of which is traditional – planning and conducting offensive and defensive operations.
As we can see, military activity on the borders of Russia and Belarus is very high, especially considering that in June the Air Force of Norway, Sweden and Finland held the largest joint maneuvers “Arctic Challenge -2023” with the participation of 150 aircraft, and Finland at the same time, they worked out interaction with the allies on the “Northern Forest – 2023” maneuvers.
But the most eloquent is something else, namely the symbolism of this activity. Currently, military maneuvers near the borders of Russia and Belarus are being conducted by all NATO countries, without exception, which immediately border them. And this appears, if not as a direct threat, then as an unequivocal signal of preparations for military action against the Union State.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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2023-09-17 03:44:43
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