"West-2013" military exercise starts in Belarus
The military drills code-named "West 213" will take place on September 20-26 at the training and fire ground near Hrodna.
The exercise is based on the scenario that features the intrusion of "extremist groups that aim to destabilize the situation inside the country by carryng out terrorist acts" on the territory of the conditional state CSTO.
The drills will be held in three stages. The air-drop of self-propelled artillery weapons will be practiced at the military exercise of CSTO forces for the first time.
Meanwhile, the West-2013 exericise caused concern in European capitals as the drill participants practice scenarios of military actions at the borders with Poland and Lithuania just like during the previous drills, writes Nasha Niva.
Belarus president Alyaksandr Lukashenka admitted that the Belarusian and the Russian armies were in fact one thing.
The Belarusian opposition criticizes the authorities for the lack of independent policy in the field of the national security. Although the threats to independence and sovereignty come from Russia, our security apparatus remains under Russia's influence, including regular joint exercises like the West 2013.
