Russia and Belarus want to use the West 2021 exercise to convey that we must take into account their military might in the region. This is a matter of concern and requires an answer, said Latvian expert Olevs Nickers, director of the Baltic Security Fund and an expert at the Latvian Institute of International Relations. He added that the answer should be training in the Baltic region with the participation of other NATO countries, as well as participation in building security in the region of Sweden and Finland. According to him, in the current situation, the real military threat concerns primarily Ukraine.
Latvian expert Olev Nickers, director of the Baltic Security Foundation, an expert at the Latvian Institute of International Relations, said the current actions at the borders were a hybrid war against neighbors. – This situation reminds us that it is Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, that we must be vigilant when it comes to possible war scenarios, when it comes to Belarus and Russia. And we must also take them into account when thinking about the West 2021 exercise. However, I would not say that today, in the current situation, our partner countries, NATO and the EU, face a real military challenge, the threat of war, he stressed.
According to the analyst, this year Ukraine has the most reasons for concern. However, he stressed that at worst, an armed attack would also threaten peace and stability for the entire region.
The expert stressed that the joint exercises of the Baltic States, Poland and other NATO countries should be the response to the “West 2021” exercise and the threats posed by the military potential of Russia and Belarus during these exercises.
“We should be concerned about current events, the hybrid crisis, maneuvers of this magnitude, because Belarus and Russia, by organizing such exercises, are openly demonstrating their military power to us,” he stressed.
Olev Nickers added that during the West 2021 exercise in Latvia, large-scale NAMEJS national exercises were held with the participation of 10,000 soldiers from five NATO countries, including Poland. – This is a good signal for our neighbors in the East: it shows that we are able to maintain the unity of the Alliance in such circumstances, and we can take synchronized action at NATO level when faced with a possible military threat from Russia and Belarus. I think this is a great first step in our response. I hope that in the future we will be able to organize similar exercises in which all the Baltic States, Poland and other NATO countries will take part. And this can be a very good response to the West in 2021, – he added.