Aim of exercise in Belarus: Russian tank rush to Kaliningrad through Lithuania

One of the aims of the Russian-Belarusian military exercise in late September, gone to public, has made a sensation.

On September 29, the “joint Russian-Belarusian grouping defeated a manoeuvre aggressor” at the Obuz-Lesnovski training range and launched a counteroffensive. As politologist Alyaksandr Klaskouski writes at the website “Belorusskie Novosti”, hypothetical NATO tanks failed to reach Moscow and, moreover, T-72 of the allies moved to West.

As military analyst from Minsk Alyaksandr Alesin thinks, according to the scenario of the exercise simulating a conflict with NATO, the aim of the counterattack was to break through to “blockaded Kaliningrad” and establish the Baltic lodgement.

“So, the tanks didn’t go to Moscow?” the military analyst was asked. “No, moreover, our tanks moved to the Baltic countries,” Alesin answered.

Alesn reminded in an interview to “Nasha Niva”: Russian strategists call Belarus a noose around the Baltic states’ neck. The Belarusian-Russian military “game” simulates a hypothetical conflict with NATO. In view of Alesin, a counterattack on the manoeuvre enemy was the peak of the training. In accordance with the scenario, the army receives an order to break through to blockaded Kaliningrad and than snatch the Baltic lodgement (where a western enemy could have deployed its forces).

It is no coincidence that before visiting Belarus, Medvedev watched a seaborne assault in the Kaliningrad region. He stressed there: the manoeuvres were only defensive. But Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, and Warsaw understand the message of the Kremlin: it won’t be funny if anything happens.

“The aims of the exercise are political,” Alesin believes. In his opinion, the Kremlin shows its muscles first of all to the Baltic states and Poland – blustery NATO new members in relation with Moscow.

The expert doesn’t doubt under the mask of exercise Lukashenka will try to gain economic preferences from Moscow.