NATO troops will practice an offensive operation against our country, experts are sure
During the NATO exercises Nordic Response 2024, which started on March 4 in Norway, Finland and Sweden, an offensive operation against Russia will be practiced, military experts told Izvestia. About 20,000 people from 14 countries, more than 100 aircraft and helicopters and over 50 warships will take part in them. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the maneuvers are demonstratively provocative. Ships of the Northern Fleet entered the Barents Sea for exercises to search for submarines of a potential enemy, a pair of anti-submarine Tu-142 performed a flight over the waters of the Norwegian Sea. About the increasing activity of NATO near the northern borders of Russia and the possible consequences of this — in the material of Izvestia.
New maneuvers
The Nordic Response 2024 exercises will take place until March 14, the Norwegian Defense Ministry said. Actions will unfold in the northern regions of this country, as well as Finland and Sweden, in their airspace and adjacent marine areas.
More than 20,000 soldiers, 100 airplanes and helicopters will take part in them. The ground forces will practice actions using various artillery systems, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other armored and automotive equipment. Especially high activity is expected at sea, where submarines, frigates, corvettes, landing craft will operate — in total, over 50 combat units.
The Nordic Response is an integral part of the largest NATO exercise Steadfast Defender 2024 since the end of the Cold War, which is held throughout Europe from early February to the end of May.
Photo: Norwegian Armed Forces
Image source: iz.ru
The plans for NATO exercises this year are quite extensive, but they are all united by a common anti-Russian scenario, military expert Alexei Leonkov told Izvestia.
— The orientation is as follows: Russia is attacking, NATO is consolidating and reflecting the attack on different flanks, — he explained. — Most likely, they will demonstrate the use of nuclear weapons again, because the set of funds does not change — the number of countries involved changes. The most important thing for them now is to work with new NATO members. In their opinion, the northern flank must be reliably protected from Russia's "expansion". Although Russia has never said that it is going to attack anyone.
Military expert Vladislav Shurygin confirmed that the alliance usually works out scenarios that start with defense and then go on the offensive.
— There used to be some kind of legend of the exercises, there was a practice of strikes on some conditional countries, but now everything is very specific - an operation directed against Russia is being worked out, and it is purely offensive, - Admiral Sergey Avakyants, ex—commander of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. — The Nordic Response and, in general, Steadfast Defender 2024 are sharply different in nature from the previous ones — in their duration, composition of participants, mass character and the fact that the practice of striking at our territory is openly declared. In fact, the next Barbarossa plan is being worked out. This is a clear threat.
Photo: Allied Air Command
Image source: iz.ru
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on March 4 that the Nordic Response maneuvers were demonstratively provocative and Russia was monitoring them. The diplomat stressed that any exercises, especially in the geographical proximity to the line of contact, increase the risk of military incidents. He also noted that "all necessary measures" have been taken from the point of view of ensuring Russia's defense capability.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow perceives these actions as an escalation of tension and will prepare retaliatory measures. In addition, the exercises damage the security of Norway itself, which actually voluntarily renounces its own independence and sovereignty, Zakharova noted.
Other Northern threats
Shortly before the start of the Nordic Response 2024, some Scandinavian and Baltic politicians made a number of aggressive statements. Thus, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said that Ukraine has the right to strike at Russian territory with weapons provided by Helsinki. This was reported by Politico on February 29.
On February 27, Lithuanian Ambassador to Sweden and former head of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Linas Linkevicius said that after Sweden joined the North Atlantic Alliance, the Baltic Sea allegedly became an internal sea of NATO. To which there was a response from the press secretary of the governor of the Kaliningrad region Dmitry Lyskov.
Photo: Norwegian Armed Forces
Image source: iz.ru
— The Baltic Sea will never belong to the North Atlantic Alliance, since there are three Russian ports there. These are Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg and, accordingly, Ust-Luga. The Baltic Sea is also the home sea of the twice—Red Banner Baltic Fleet," he stressed.
Dmitry Lyskov clarified that now "neighbors who have suddenly forgotten about 20 years of joint good-neighborliness are rattling weapons," and Russians live on their own land and develop their region.
In the circumstances, the exceptionally correct decision was the re-establishment of the Leningrad Military District (Vladimir Putin signed a decree on this the other day), Sergei Avakyants believes. But it should be supplemented with specific military-technical content, specific contingents, and infrastructure, the expert is sure.
Against the background of the Nordic Response, the ships of the Northern Fleet entered the Barents Sea for exercises to search for submarines of a potential enemy. Within a few days, they will also conduct a complex of shooting at sea, air and coastal targets. Anti—submarine aviation - Il-38 aircraft and Ka-27 helicopters of the mixed Aviation Corps of the Northern Fleet - will be involved in separate stages of the exercises.
Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexey Danichev
On March 4, a pair of Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft of the Northern Fleet also flew over the Norwegian Sea.
Far from the first exercises
The Nordic Response 2024 exercises are not the only ones that have taken place in Norway recently. Last March, Joint Viking 2023 maneuvers took place there. About 20,000 Norwegian military personnel took part in them, as well as soldiers from eight other countries, including the United States, Germany, Canada and France.
They practiced repelling an attack by an external enemy, similar in number and strength to the Russian army present on the Crimean Peninsula.
— The situation in Ukraine shows the need for such exercises to ensure the security of Europe. But currently there are no signs of Russia preparing to attack NATO members," explained Jeanette Morang, commander of the amphibious task force Spiegel.
Military exercises Joint Viking 2023
Image source: Photo: Norwegian Armed Forces/Synne Nilsson
At the same time, the German magazine Focus wrote that the Joint Viking 2023 exercises were supposed to send a clear signal to Vladimir Putin about the alliance's readiness to repel an attack on the northern flag.
— After Finland joins the alliance, the deployment of powerful NATO infrastructure, the construction of airfields, the deployment of additional contingents, aviation, shock missile weapons, long—range multiple launch rocket systems will begin on its territory, - explained Sergey Avakyants. — This is very dangerous, because from the point of view of geography it threatens us with cutting the Murmansk – Moscow artery. Our Northern Fleet, its nuclear forces, and powerful shipbuilding centers in Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk are being put under a very serious blow. This is a direct danger and additional pressure on our Northern Sea Route.
According to the admiral, if an escalation begins now, Russia will need to fend it off — further strengthen the border, restore its system security, deploy additional air defense and border troops in this direction.
Julia Leonova
Vladimir Matveev
