Monday, November 02, 2009

Russia 'simulates' nuclear attack on Poland

From the Telegraph:

Russian tanks in Georgia
A Russian military tank in action in Georgia Photo: Getty Images

The armed forces are said to have carried out "war games" in which nuclear missiles were fired and troops practised an amphibious landing on the country's coast.

Documents obtained by Wprost, one of Poland's leading news magazines, said the exercise was carried out in conjunction with soldiers from Belarus.

The manoeuvres are thought to have been held in September and involved about 13,000 Russian and Belarusian troops.

Poland, which has strained relations with both countries, was cast as the "potential aggressor".

The documents state the exercises, code-named "West", were officially classified as "defensive" but many of the operations appeared to have an offensive nature.

The Russian air force practised using weapons from its nuclear arsenal, while in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, which neighbours Poland, Red Army forces stormed a "Polish" beach and attacked a gas pipeline.

The operation also involved the simulated suppression of an uprising by a national minority in Belarus – the country has a significant Polish population which has a strained relationship with authoritarian government of Belarus.



I have posted on Putin's dreams of establishing a new Soviet-type power.

Vlad Putin is a very dangerous man.

6 comments:

Epaminondas said...

Well now that there will be no long range interceptor missiles, this drill makes sense.

Total said...

Ukraine must be feeling pretty shitty for surrendering their nuclear arsenal in 1989. In a conventional war, however, Poland (to a limited extent) and Ukraine could hold their own against Russia. The Poles have a long history of exceeding widespread expectations in battle; even in WWII they held out longer than French, who were superficially viewed as the German military's equal at the time. Also remember that it was King John III Sobieski of Poland who led the coalition of Poles, Lithuanians, Germans, and Austrians that defeated the vile Islamist Ottoman army in the 1683 Siege of Vienna. That was the last time Islamists have attempted to invade Western Europe until about 300 years later, which is shaping to be a resounding victory for the Muslims.

midnight rider said...

And in WWII the Poles did it while much of their cavalry was still the real deal on horseback type.

Tick tock tick tock

andre79 said...

the exercises, code-named "West"

Surely not a code name but rather a hint?

Pastorius said...

Andre79,
My thoughts exactly. That's why I highlighted that line.

Ray Boyd said...

During the Battle of Britain in 1940 the Polish RAF fighter pilots were a law unto themselves. The Polish squadrons were notorious for their courage and doggedness in pursuing and shooting down German aircraft.