"Fight the West": Russia, Belarus to Hold Huge Military Maneuver this Fall
According to European media reports, the exercise will involve some 100,000 troops. Officials in the Baltic states have already voiced concerns that large Russian forces will remain on Belarus soil following the exercise
Dan Arkin
| 18/06/2017
Russia and Belarus are preparing for a massive military maneuver this autumn – their quadrennial "fight-the-West" wargame, in which 100,000 troops will reportedly participate. The joint exercise simulates a full-scale conflict with the West.
In the Baltic countries on NATO’s northeastern flank, there are signs of concern. "It’s not comfortable at all when we expect to have 100,000 troops around our borders," Lithuanian Minister of Defense Raimundas Karoblis said during a recent visit to Washington.
Scheduled for the Fall of 2017, this year’s Zapad (West) exercise will be the first since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. According to Defense One, officials in the Baltic states have already voiced concerns that large Russian forces will remain on Belarus soil following the exercise. US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said during a visit to Lithuania last month that such a large buildup is "simply destabilizing."
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have been rapidly increasing their defense spending ever since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, reports Defense One. But ultimately, their ability to deter Moscow depends on their European and NATO allies. Each Baltic country could mobilize several tens of thousands of troops, not the hundred thousand Russia is likely to amass for this exercise alone.
According to European media reports, the exercise will involve some 100,000 troops. Officials in the Baltic states have already voiced concerns that large Russian forces will remain on Belarus soil following the exercise
Russia and Belarus are preparing for a massive military maneuver this autumn – their quadrennial "fight-the-West" wargame, in which 100,000 troops will reportedly participate. The joint exercise simulates a full-scale conflict with the West.
In the Baltic countries on NATO’s northeastern flank, there are signs of concern. "It’s not comfortable at all when we expect to have 100,000 troops around our borders," Lithuanian Minister of Defense Raimundas Karoblis said during a recent visit to Washington.
Scheduled for the Fall of 2017, this year’s Zapad (West) exercise will be the first since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. According to Defense One, officials in the Baltic states have already voiced concerns that large Russian forces will remain on Belarus soil following the exercise. US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said during a visit to Lithuania last month that such a large buildup is "simply destabilizing."
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have been rapidly increasing their defense spending ever since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, reports Defense One. But ultimately, their ability to deter Moscow depends on their European and NATO allies. Each Baltic country could mobilize several tens of thousands of troops, not the hundred thousand Russia is likely to amass for this exercise alone.
