The US Army and the NATO military alliance conducted the Defender of Europe exercise this year, in which 28,000 soldiers participated. Maneuvers unfolded, including in the Baltic States. But, as reported to Swedish television, Russia was not invited to these exercises as an observer. SVT tried to figure out who made the decision.
The Defender of Europe exercise is led by the US Army. They were held in the spring and early summer in the Baltic States, the Balkans and the Black Sea, where 28 thousand military personnel from 26 countries were attracted.
Compared to the Russian exercises "West", these maneuvers were small. 200 thousand people participated in the Zapad exercises this year.
Criticism of Russians
The state-controlled Russian news agency TASS recently reported that Russia has not invited NATO military attaches to the Zapad-2021 exercises. According to the Kremlin, this is a reaction to the fact that NATO did not invite Russia as an observer to the Defender of Europe exercises.
Swedish television contacted NATO headquarters. They replied that Russia "again failed" to inform everyone in advance about the big exercises, as it should be according to the so-called Vienna Document. The NATO Secretary General, as we were informed, said this to the Russian Foreign Minister at a meeting in September.
"We call on Russia to follow the spirit and letter of the Vienna Document with regard to the military presence and military activities, including mandatory transparency measures taken by all OSCE countries, which includes Russia," Irina Novakova from the NATO press service answered a question from Swedish television.
She stresses that every country has the right to conduct military exercises, as long as it does not violate its international obligations.
"NATO believes very much in transparency and predictability in the military sphere."
The US is leading the exercises
NATO says that "Defender of Europe" is an exercise that the United States only leads, and only those countries that host these exercises can invite Russian observers - if they decide so.
Swedish television contacted the headquarters of the European Command of the US Armed Forces, where they replied that Russia was not invited, since the US was not the country hosting the exercises.
"The country hosting the exercises has the right to invite representatives of OSCE countries to observe the maneuvers on its territory so that they can make sure that we are talking about defense exercises - but it depends on what decision the host country will make on this," Audra Calloway from the press service of the US Armed Forces in Europe and Africa replied.
She added that the United States and the countries hosting the exercises, in accordance with the Vienna Document, provided all the necessary information to all OSCE countries.
Swedish television did not contact the 16 countries where the exercises were held.
Jonas Olsson
