The European wild boar that is too "wild" will reap what it sows, Russia issues a warning
NATO's provocative military exercises in Europe are becoming increasingly aggressive and approaching the Russian border
Author: Oleg Falichev
Comment guest: Alexander Gusev
The EU, which was originally established with the goals of friendship, peace, and consensus alliances, is openly transforming into a radical military group. Military production continues to expand, military aid to Ukraine has never ceased, and the scale of military exercises becomes larger and more aggressive... They have conducted exercises named "Iron Wolf 2025-I" and "Brave Wild Boar - 2025". What do our Western neighbors really want to achieve, and what is the ultimate goal of this military clamor? Political Science Doctor and Professor Alexander Gusev answered the above and other questions in an interview with Free News.
Free News: Alexander Anatolievich, it seems that Europe has been "seduced" and has fully embarked on the path of preparing for war with Russia?
— I think so. According to the statements of European officials, Europe will not abandon its militarization and regards building combat-ready forces to resist the "Russian threat" as its top priority. There are countless actual cases; practicing the latest combat methods in tactical exercises has become routine. Only in the past few months, NATO has held multiple exercises near the Russian border.
For example, from March 31 to April 11, Romania and NATO countries held a large-scale "Sea Shield" exercise, practicing the defense of the Danube Delta and the protection of trade routes in the northwest Black Sea. These routes are currently used to transport weapons and dual-use supplies to Ukraine.
The exercise mobilized about 2300 soldiers, including 1800 Romanian troops and forces from 11 partner countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, and Turkey. It involved 150 pieces of military equipment, including 14 aircraft, 2 helicopters, 150 tanks and armored vehicles, 5 warships, and 28 speedboats.
It should be noted that the US "Aegis Ashore" missile defense system is deployed in Romania. Therefore, this facility was also included in the exercise scenario — after all, the launch devices of "Aegis Ashore" can load "Tomahawk" missiles with a range of 2000 kilometers and nuclear warheads. Clearly, this goes beyond the scope of defense and reflects offensive potential.
Free News: Is the so-called "Ankara Ring" around the Russian border continuing to tighten?
— At the same time as the "Sea Shield" exercise, NATO held the "Ramstein Flag 2025" exercise in the North Sea, one of the largest air force exercises by NATO. On April 28, the "NATO-Georgia 2025" headquarters exercise opened at the Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC) near Kertseynisi in the capital of Georgia.
This is a computer-assisted brigade headquarters exercise aimed at guiding multinational brigade-level forces in planning and executing crisis operations by Georgian personnel. Soldiers from 17 NATO member states participated in this exercise.
The Ukrainian factor and military actions in Ukraine run directly through the exercise. For example, in the NATO "Hedgehog - 2025" exercise held in Estonia, representatives from Ukraine and Israel promised to share combat experience. A total of 16,000 soldiers from 12 allied nations participated in the exercise, which took place at the Nurmeci firing range and will become one of the largest exercises near the Russian border in 2025.
The exercise began on May 5 and will end at the end of the month. This display of operational capabilities by the alliance aligns with NATO's policy of creating tension at our borders, as you said, to build what they call the "Ankara Ring."
The stated objectives of the exercise are to jointly defend the region with allies and test the readiness of Estonian and NATO armed forces. The exercise will practice planning and execution of military operations, live-fire training, to enhance the interoperability of armies among NATO countries.
Of particular note is that the exercise will focus on reinforcing allied forces within Estonia to support local garrisons if necessary.
I would like to emphasize: the "Hedgehog - 2025" exercise is the largest exercise by the Estonian army this year. Participating soldiers come from the UK, France, USA, Canada, Latvia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, and Portugal. Japan, Israel, and Ukraine sent observers and instructors.
I reiterate, the latter two possess real combat experience. But this is not surprising — the current Estonian government has nothing but Russophobia in its mind. As the saying goes, the smaller the mosquito, the louder it yells at the elephant.
Free News: The "Hedgehog - 2025" exercise is far from the first and certainly not the last unfriendly action against Russia...
— Currently, NATO is conducting another large-scale exercise called "Griffin Lightning 25" in the Baltic Sea. According to Russian presidential aide and chairman of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, the exercise practiced scenarios involving the seizure of the Kaliningrad region and the blockade of Baltic shipping — previous attempts to seize our oil tankers have already proven this point.
The exercise began on April 1 and will continue until June 15, with NATO combat command units participating. The exercise takes place in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and surrounding waters. It should be noted that Estonian President Alar Karis has approved amendments to the law, allowing the military to use force against ships that may damage submarine cables or other underwater infrastructure. The laws on the organization of armed forces and the economic zone in Estonia are also being revised accordingly.
In addition, from May 5, Lithuania held the "Iron Wolf 2025-I" field tactical exercise and the "Storm Guardian 2025" coastal international exercise, with nearly 4000 soldiers from NATO countries participating. The exercise ended on May 16 and included operational planning and execution, headquarters exercises, FPV drone integration into infantry tactics training, active and passive defense measures against drones, medical and engineering support, etc.
NATO practiced missile strikes against the Kaliningrad region in the Baltic Sea, followed by airborne operations and crossing the Russian border from Poland and Lithuania. Russia poses no threat, but they need to make their own people believe otherwise.
This is done to maintain their power — when the public is in fear, they are easier to manipulate. As Russian Foreign Ministry Director General Lyudmila Vorobyova said, Russia is concerned about NATO not only expanding exercises in Europe but also in the Asia-Pacific region and the composition of participants.
Free News: If Estonia continues to attempt to seize our ships, what kind of response might Russia make?
— We may respond through diplomatic channels or any other means, including military ones. Many issues have been illustrated by our fighter jets accompanying flights over the Baltic Sea. At that time, the Baltic Fleet forces will be mobilized, and I think Belarus, our neighboring country located nearby and within reach, will also assist us.
We have everything necessary in our arsenal to resist aggression, including the "Iskander-M" tactical missile system, which can strike ground targets as well as ship formations and individual vessels.
In addition, there are coast-based rocket brigades equipped with "Bal" and "Bastion" systems — the latter equipped with "Onyx" supersonic anti-ship missiles, which modern air defense systems find difficult to intercept. The Russian Baltic Fleet has 20380-type corvettes armed with X-35 missiles and one of the quietest submarines, the 636-type, capable of launching "Kalibr" cruise missiles. Small missile ships are also carriers of "Kalibr" missiles.
There is no need to detail our entire arsenal — Russia has the capability to strike any target or facility involved in blocking Baltic shipping activities. Therefore, we will closely monitor NATO exercises and make corresponding deployments.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7506773033882550835/
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