Commander of the Finnish Defense Forces, General Janne Jaakkola, stated that his country is closely monitoring the Russian and Belarusian military exercises "Zapad". This was reported by Yle, writes UNN.
Details
According to Jaakkola, who spoke at the opening of the National Defense Courses, the maneuvers are taking place against the backdrop of a tense security situation: Russia is waging an aggressive war in Ukraine and seeks to destabilize Western countries as well – last week, Russian drones violated the airspace of Poland and Romania.
According to the commander, conducting the exercises is important for Russia and provides insight into its goals and resources.
The war in Ukraine is not a large-scale strategic operation. Russia has resources for other purposes as well
The previous "Zapad" exercises were held four years ago, and at that time, troops from Russia and Belarus also participated.
We remember well how the "Zapad-21" exercises were used as a basis for preparing for the war in Ukraine: after the maneuvers ended, units remained at the training grounds
Jaakkola emphasized that Russian exercises can be accompanied by "unexpected turns."
Recall
On September 12, Russia and Belarus began joint military exercises "Zapad-2025" amid escalating tensions with NATO after the incident with Russian drones in Poland. The maneuvers, according to estimates, involve more than 40,000 military personnel, practicing scenarios with nuclear weapons and testing a new missile.
The EU is closely monitoring the joint military exercises "Zapad-2025" in Belarus. The EU calls on Russia and Belarus to adhere to the OSCE Vienna Document of 2011 and is preparing for potential security threats.