Tag Archives: Baltic

Zapad 13 – Observations and perspective

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

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English: Zapad-2009 military exercises. Русски...

Zapad-2009 military exercises. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Karlis Neretnieks (Ret MG, Swedish Army) , Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences, October 14, 2013

Russia´s military capabilities are rising fast. The exercise Zapad 2013 clearly shows that the Russian Armed Forces have left the deplorable state they were in some ten years ago, and that the lessons learned from the Georgia conflict in 2008 are being implemented. The new command structure with Strategic Commands and leaner tactical units is being tested. It is not yet perfect, but Zapad 2013 will give valuable lessons…

…Altogether we see a rapidly increasing Russian capability to mount large scale, complex, military operations in its neighbourhood, coordinated with operations in other areas. It would be a mistake to see this just a problem for the Baltic States. It should have implications for most of Russia´s neighbours, and also for other parties interested in the security and stability in the Baltic Sea region…(more)

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Commentary: Meanwhile, Over at the Massive Russian Military Buildup

25 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Baltics, European News, Russia

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English: THE BARENTS SEA. A military exercise ...

A military exercise of the Russian Northern Fleet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Kristopher Rikken, ERR News – Estonian Public Broadcasting, Sept. 25, 2013

With Zapad 2013, Russia’s answer to NATO‘s Steadfast Jazz military exercise, continuing in parts east, ERR News profiles a piece that originally ran on February 13.

One year ago, Russia unveiled a new doctrine: then presidential candidate Vladimir Putin openly avowed an intention to radically expand and upgrade the Russian military. As of February 2013, the country continues to pursue the biggest military buildup in years in its western military district, which is flush up against Baltic borders and already easily the country’s most powerful in conventional military terms…

It’s unclear how much NATO’s own actions are driving the escalation, but only one side (Russia) has mentioned a “pre-war state,” which has drawn a response…

For a year now, the main theme in the Russian military doctrine has been a “prewar situation.”

“It took just three years for the ‘prewar state’ meme to make it from a retired colonel’s interview to a speech delivered by the President to the Federal Assembly… (more)

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Bloomberg: Russian War Games on Baltic Border Spark Security Fears

24 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Russia

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Post-Soviet states in alphabetical order: 1. A...

Post-Soviet states in alphabetical order: 1. Armenia, 2. Azerbaijan, 3. Belarus, 4. Estonia, 5. Georgia, 6. Kazakhstan, 7. Kyrgyzstan, 8. Latvia, 9. Lithuania, 10. Moldova, 11. Russia, 12. Tajikistan, 13. Turkmenistan, 14. Ukraine, 15. Uzbekistan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Ott Ummelas & Aaron Eglitis, Bloomberg, Sept. 20, 2013

Baltic officials said regional security had been weakened as Russia led military exercises on their doorstep involving almost 12,000 troops.

A week of land and sea maneuvers dubbed “Zapad 2013,” or “West 2013,” began today as part of biennial exercises with Belarus, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on its website. Troops in both nations tested coordination in destroying “illegal armed formations,” it said.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which regained independence in 1991 after half a century of Soviet rule, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2004 amid Russian opposition. NATO has held exercises in the Baltic region since 2010, while Russia has opened new military bases and deployed more troops on its western border in recent years, according to the defense ministers of Estonia and Latvia… (more)

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