Nato has deployed 40,000 soldiers to Poland’s eastern border as Europe braces itself for major joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus.
The shift of troops comes just days after at least 19 Russian drones infiltrated Polish airspace, forcing Nato to shoot down a number of the aircraft.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned the incident was closest the country had come to being embroiled in a conflict since the Second World War.
Mr Tusk labelled the upcoming drills, known as Zapad 2025, as “very aggressive” and slammed Poland’s border with Belarus shut in anticipation.
Mr Tusk labelled the upcoming drills as ‘very aggressive’ and slammed Poland’s border with Belarus shut in anticipation
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GETTYPoland’s Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk told Polsat News on Wednesday: “Poland has been preparing for the Zapad 2025 exercises for many months.
“Polish and Nato soldiers are needed to adequately respond to Zapad 2025.
“This is where the war in Ukraine began. Therefore, the Polish army is preparing for this.
“In the coming days, we will have about 40,000 soldiers at the border.”
Poland’s Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said that “Poland has been preparing for the Zapad 2025 exercises for many months”
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Nato is shifting 40,000 troops to its east – and Poland shares hundreds of miles of border with Russia and Belarus
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GB NEWSBelarus’s Foreign Ministry hit back at Poland for closing the border, claiming it had “caused difficulties” and was “an abuse of its geographical position”.
The ministry said: “The temporary suspension of passage indicates rather an intention to conceal one’s own actions than the existence of any threat from Belarus.”
Latvia has joined Poland in bolstering its defences ahead of the drills after announcing it will close its airspace near to the border with Belarus and Russia for a week until September 18.
Lithuania also confirmed that it would be strengthening its border protections over the coming weeks.
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Zapad 2025 will commence on September 12 and end four days later on September 16.
The joint exercises between Russian and Belarussian forces will include nuclear weapons training and operations relating to Russia’s Oreshnik missile system.
Belarussian officials have indicated that around 13,000 troops will be engaging in the exercises, however some analysts believe the actual figure could be exponentially higher.
The previous drills, Zapad 2021, saw over 200,000 personnel involved, including 760 pieces of equipment and 15 warships.
The previous drills, Zapad 2021, saw over 200,000 personnel involved
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Just weeks ago, the head of Germany’s armed forces Carsten Breuer said German and Nato troops were in a state of alert before the war games kick off.
Though Mr Breuer said he does not believe Russian forces will attack during the drills, he confirmed that Germany would “be on our guard”.
The German defence chief said: “We don’t have any indication that preparations for an attack are taken under the cover of the exercise.”
In June, Mr Breuer warned that Vladimir Putin was building up his military to an “enormous extent” and said that Nato allies need to make preparations for a Russian attack within four years.
