Estonia’s Ministry of Defense: Russian Troops To Stay In Belarus After ‘West-2017’ Military Exercise

For the Russian soldiers heading for Belarus, it is a one way ticket.

According to Defense Minister Margus Tsahkna, Estonia and other NATO countries have reason to fear that at the end of the military exercise "West-2017" the Russian troops will stay in Belarus.

Margus Tsahkna has said this at the welcoming ceremony of the multinational NATO battalion in Tape.

According to him, Russia could use large-scale military exercises to move thousands of troops to Belarus as a warning to the NATO.

He has noted that Moscow and Minsk intend to hold the maneuvers in September, which, in the opinion of some members of the NATO, can be participated by up to 100 thousand soldiers and which will be the largest exercise of this kind since 2013.

Referring to the public information about the plans of the railway traffic from Russia to Belarus, Tsahkna has said that Russia intends to use 4000 railway wagons to transport its troops on the territory of Belarus to create an outpost in the territory of the nearest ally.

— For the Russian soldiers heading for Belarus, it is a one way ticket, — the Minister has told to Reuters in an interview in Malta before the meeting of the Ministers of Defense of the EU. — This is not just my personal opinion. We thoroughly analyze how Russia prepares for the “West-2017” military exercise.