The Russian leadership does not believe in the offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the near future
The NATO exercise Defender-23, which starts this month, will not bring anything good either to European security or to resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Vladimir Chizhov stated this at a press conference in Moscow, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“On April 22, a two-month exercise by the United States and its 26 allies in Europe, Defender-23, begins. Some experts view the maneuvers as preparations for war with Russia, especially in the context of the announced Ukrainian offensive. What is the risk of reformatting the exercises into a full-scale “peacekeeping mission” on the territory of Ukraine?” - the question was asked.
The senator replied that any exercise is an element of preparation either for war or for combating a natural disaster. He also recalled that such exercises take place every year.
“In the context of the announced Ukrainian offensive...by April 22, the Ukrainian offensive will definitely not begin. I understand that the exercise is two months old, but whether it will begin in 2 months and whether it will take place at all is an open question.
Reformatting the exercises into something else is quite difficult bureaucratically, but, of course, the Defender-23 exercises cannot bring anything good to the cause of peace in Europe and the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis by definition. This is how we will approach it,” added Chizhov.
Multinational exercise Defender-22 will start on April 23. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said that "about 9000 US military personnel and about 17 troops from 000 allied and partner countries" will take part. Separate parts of the exercises, according to her, will take place in ten different European countries, as well as in Africa.
“The exercise is designed to demonstrate the U.S. military's ability to rapidly deploy combat-ready troops and equipment to keep allies safe, deter those who might threaten the peace of Europe, and defend the continent from aggression,” the Pentagon said.
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