Latvia kickstarts the NATO Baltic Winter Shield 2021 Military Exercises

The annual international military exercises of NATO Baltic Winter Shield 2021, kicked off in Latvia on Monday and will witness the Baltic state’s military along with allied forces bolster their combat capabilities. The collaborative exercise will include military personnel from Land Force Mechanised Infantry Brigade, National Guard, Special Operations Command, NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group deployed to Latvia, Baltic Battalion and US Special Operations Command Europe, as per a report by Sputnik. Notably, NATO has deployed multiple battalions in the Baltic states including Lavia, Lithuania and Estonia. 

"From 21 November to 4 December, Latvia will host international military exercise ‘Winter Shield’ to test and upgrade the combat capabilities of Latvian and allied Armed forces units along with their integration and interoperability within Baltic region’s collective defence system" the statement issued by the armed forces reads.

Recently, the US Sixth Fleet announced a flagship maritime exercise in the Black Sea region. The drill will include naval vessel Mount Whitney heading to the Black Sea in November to conduct operations with NATO allies and partners. According to a report by AP, the naval vessel entered the Georgian Port of Batumi along with the US destroyer Porter on November 8. 

Russia condemns NATO's drills 

The maritime drills conducted by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces in the Black Sea are linked to Washington's aim to contain Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted, Sputnik reported. In a major violation of the Russia-NATO Founding Act, the United States and allies "desire" to follow the "policy of containment" of Russia, the FM Lavrov said. He further stated that Russia is "prepared" for any "provocation" in relations that may arise from NATO's actions along the region.

NATO-Russia tension

To counter the expulsion of the United Nation allies of the Russian military alliance, the Russian federation announced disengagement with the intergovernmental military alliance on October 18, 2021. Moscow blamed NATO for not providing equal dialogue opportunities and showing any effort to neutralize the military-political tension. It is pertinent to mention here that the Russian government is ready to cooperate with NATO in further "de-escalation" in the Baltic region, but the United Nations and its allies have strongly refused the offer. Meanwhile, Moscow believes that the actions of the United States and its allies are deliberate and that their goal is to conquer the region.

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