Moscow and Minsk insist, however, that the drills are defensive, adding that Western security concerns are ‘nonsense’.Russia has showcased some of its advanced weapons while conducting a joint military drill with Belarusian troops amid heightened tensions with NATO countries following alleged violations of the airspaces of Poland and Romania by Moscow.Approximately 7,000 troops, including 6,000 Belarusian soldiers, participated in exercises held at locations in Belarus and Russia.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listRussia conducted a test strike with a Kalibr missile from the nuclear submarine named Arkhangelsk in the Barents Sea during the joint Russia-Belarus “Zapad” military drills, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Monday. The strike on the designated target was carried out by the submarine from an underwater position, Interfax reported.Moscow and Minsk insisted on Tuesday that the drills are defensive, meant to simulate a response to an invasion.But NATO states along the alliance’s eastern flank see them as a threat, particularly after alleged Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace last week. Warsaw has since warned that “open conflict” is closer now than at any point since World War II. Romania on Sunday accused Russia of drone incursion during its attacks on Ukraine.Britain’s Labour Party-led government on Monday announced its fighter jets will fly air defence missions over Poland to counter aerial threats.Russia has been at war with Ukraine since it launched a ground invasion in 2022.Belarus’s Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin dismissed the NATO concerns.“We have heard a lot of things … that we are threatening NATO, that we are going to invade the Baltic states,” he …
