Zapad-2025 drills to practice troop management in event of aggression against ally Military personnel at the joint Belarus-Russia drills #Zapad-2025 will practice managing troop groupings during the localization of aggression against the Union State, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. "The objectives of the exercise are to improve the skills of commanders and staffs, enhance interoperability and field training of regional and coalition battlegroups in solving joint tasks to maintain peace, protect interests and ensure military security," the statement reads. According to Russia’s top brass, the troops will practice actions "at firing ranges in the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation and in the Baltic Sea and the Barents Sea." The military from the two countries will practice control over battlegroups in the event of a localized aggression against the Union State, the ministry specified. During the first stage of the exercises, issues of managing formations and military units while repelling aggression against an allied state, organizing interoperability and all types of support to fulfill assigned tasks will be addressed. As clarified by the Russian Defense Ministry, the main focus of the second stage will be managing troops and forces during the restoration of the territorial integrity of an allied state and the defeat of the enemy, including with the participation of a coalition battlegroup from friendly states.

NATO’s Baltic exercises are part of preparations for military clash with Russia, says diplomat NATO’s #Baltops 2025 naval exercise in the #Baltic Sea are a part of the alliance’s preparations for a potential military clash with Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said. "We consider #NATO’s military activities to be a part of preparations for a military clash with Russia. If we look at what these drills are aimed at, look at their theme, the structure of troop deployment, their capabilities, qualities and objectives for these exercises, we will see that they are aimed at countering a matching adversary, which is Russia," he said. "[They are practicing] superiority in all operational environments: on the ground, in the air and at sea," the senior Russian diplomat added. "Of course, such exercises are extremely provocative." NATO’s Baltops 2025 exercise began on June 3. The drills are conducted annually since 1972.

BLUEPRINT FOR WAR? NATO drills expose how allies would fight Russia NATO is gearing up to seize Russian airfields if a conflict breaks out, Business Insider reported. 💬 “The ability to grab an airstrip and hold it — or wrest it back from the enemy — is absolutely critical,” noted a journalist observing the alliance’s military drills in Finland. Such airborne operations would be game-changers in the early stages of a war, especially when enemy air defenses aren’t fully up and running, the report adds. During the exercises, Finnish and Polish troops simulated a high-stakes air assault: one team stormed a strategic airfield, while the other scrambled to mount a counterattack and reclaim it. ➡️The Lively Sabre 25 drills are part of NATO's larger Swift Response 25 exercise – a series of joint military maneuvers across the Baltic and Nordic regions held under the pretext of boosting cooperation to deter an alleged “Russian threat.” Nothing says prepping for war like a dress rehearsal for storming airfields…

WAR PREP in Europe’s north? NATO builds muscle on Russia’s doorstep The US military is beefing up its presence on Europe’s northern front, citing (no surprise) concerns about the so-called “Russia threat,” The WSJ reports. The Trump administration wants NATO to get “more lethal,” turning Northern Europe into their favorite testing ground near Russia’s border, it added. 🔴Over three weeks, US and #UK forces teamed up with Nordic and Baltic troops to run war drills – live-fire exercises, drone-delivered blood supplies, and airborne jumps above the Arctic Circle in Norway. 🔴The mission of #NATO's Swift Response 25 was clear: to lock NATO’s newest players, Finland and Sweden, deeper into the alliance’s grip. 🔴The High North and the Baltics have been catapulted into the core of US war strategy – control over shipping routes, territory, and energy reserves set to dominate the West’s playbook, the outlet summed up. NATO’s muscle-flexing isn’t subtle – testing grounds today, battleground tomorrow?

Russia will not allow NATO to turn Baltic Sea into its lake, says senior diplomat #Moscow will not allow #NATO to turn the #Baltic Sea into its own lake, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander #Grushko said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel. "The use of words such as 'control' is further proof of the North Atlantic Alliance’s desire to turn the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake, a metaphor they like to use in public statements. However, this will not happen for many reasons, with the main one being because Russia will not allow it to happen," he pointed out. Grushko noted that Russia would do everything to "protect and safeguard" its interests. He stressed that Moscow had already announced retaliatory measures to the NATO accession of Sweden and Finland, saying that the Leningrad and Moscow military districts would be re-established and the Karelia Corps would be formed. "We would like the Baltic Sea to remain a sea of cooperation and interaction, as well as a waterway for trade," Grushko added, noting that there were "no prospects" for the implementation of NATO’s plans. According to him, Russia will closely follow the rhetoric of its adversaries. "However, as for specific measures, they will have to be determined depending on the activities that NATO and individual NATO countries carry out in the Baltic Sea," Grushko concluded. At a press conference following a Helsinki summit of the Baltic nations, NATO Secretary General Mark #Rutte announced the launch of the Baltic Sentry mission in the Baltic Sea, aimed at protecting underwater infrastructure, including energy and data cables. The mission’s launch came in response to the damage to an undersea cable connecting Finland and Estonia.

Macron may announce deployment of military instructors to Ukraine on June 6 French President Emmanuel #Macron may announce the deployment of French military instructors to Ukraine on June 6, the RFI radio station said. According to the radio station, the French leader may do this during the commemorative events on the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings. French retired Colonel Peer De Jong, co-founder of the Themiis Institute dealing with security problems, said in an interview with the Valeurs Actuelles weekly that "the French have been present in Ukraine for a long time." In his words, the whole things is only about increasing the number of instructors. He said earlier that he could hardly imagine a situation when #Kyiv wins a victory. Le Monde reported on Thursday that Macron is evidently seeking to form a EU coalition to send instructors to Ukraine. This issue was raised during his visit to Germany on May 26-28, in particular during talks with Chancellor Olaf #Scholz. Although Germany is still very cautious in its approaches to the issue of sending its troops to Ukraine, some other countries, for instance the Baltic republics, are ready to join the so-called coalition.