Russia, Belarus start military drills as West watches warily

AFP :

Russia and its key ally Belarus began major joint military drills early Friday, putting NATO on edge days after Poland accused Moscow of escalating tensions by firing attack drones through its airspace.
The “Zapad” exercises also come as Russian forces grind across the sprawling front line in Ukraine and escalate aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities.
NATO’s eastern flank members that border Belarus Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are on high alert over the drills, which Belarus says will be held near Borisov, a town east of the capital Minsk.
All three countries have ramped up security ahead of the exercises, with Poland ordering the complete closure of its border with Belarus for their duration.
“The joint strategic manouevres of the Russian and Belarusian armies have started,” Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned of “critical days” for his country.
He said Poland was closer to “open conflict” than at any point since World War II, after Poland and its NATO allies scrambled jets to down Russian drones flying across its airspace early Wednesday.Moscow has downplayed the concerns.
“These are planned exercises, they are not aimed against anyone,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday, rejecting Poland’s claim that the drills were an “aggressive” show of force.
But Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also issued a warning over Moscow’s intentions.