dpa
Korzeniewo
Some 20,000 soldiers from nine NATO countries were readying on Monday to cross Poland’s longest river, the Vistula, as part of a manoeuvre aimed at deterring Russian aggression.
The Dragon 24 drill will take place near the town of Korzeniowo, about 100 kilometres south of Gdansk. About 15,000 of the participating soldiers will come from Poland, according to Warsaw.
The crossing of the Vistula with the construction of a pontoon bridge will test the ability of land, sea, air and cyber forces to work together during a major military crisis, the Polish armed forces said.
There are increasing warnings from European officials that Russia could be ready to test the solidarity of NATO allies at some point in the next few years.
The debate about the Western alliance’s readiness for war gained more momentum in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine just over two years ago. Poland is one of Ukraine’s most committed supporters and has also taken in almost 1 million war refugees from its eastern neighbour. It also serves as a logistical hub for military aid from the West.
The EU and NATO member feels particularly threatened by Russia due to its location. Many Poles express fear that they could one day face a similar fate to the people of Ukraine. Poland has recently invested heavily in modern weapons systems and spends around 4 percent of its gross domestic product on defence.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats against the West should be taken “deadly seriously.” Dragon 24 is part of the larger Steadfast Defender exercise that NATO is currently holding on its eastern flank. Steadfast Defender is the defence alliance’s largest exercise since the Cold War.
The Vistula flows from the mountains in Poland’s south to the Baltic Sea in the north, and cuts across major cities.
