France, NATO denounce 'violent' Russia-Belarus drills

France has denounced joint Russian military exercises with Belarus as "a very violent gesture" at a time when Moscow's troop build-up continues on neighbouring Ukraine's borders. 

In this photo taken from video and released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, multiple rocket launchers fire during the Belarusian and Russian joint military drills at Brestsky firing range, Belarus. Russian and Belarus troops held joint combat training at firing ranges in Belarus. The drills involved motorized rifle, artillery and anti-tank missile units, as well tanks and armored personnel carriers crews. AP

The planned 10-day manoeuvres in Belarus are "extremely large," according to France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, talking to France Inter radio.

"There is a mounting number of very significant exercises right on Ukraine's border... it is a very violent gesture that concerns us".

.@JY_LeDrian : "La situation est très grave : la Russie s'est donnée les moyens de lancer une nouvelle agression contre l'Ukraine. Il n'y a aucune décision prise à ma connaissance, mais lorsque vous avez 125 000 hommes à la frontière, il y a de quoi être inquiet." #le79Inter pic.twitter.com/8uezsU5ht7

— France Inter (@franceinter) February 10, 2022

Earlier, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky described the joint military drills launched by Russia and Belarus along Ukraine's border as "psychological pressure" while NATO's chief Jens Stoltenberg warned that Russia's deployment for the Belarus exercise is creating a "dangerous moment" in European security

Vienna Document

Preparation for the drills, nicknamed Union Courage 2022 included the transfer of troops and aircraft from Russia's Eastern Military District (EMD) in Siberia to Belarus. 

According to Russia's Ministry of Defence, EMD combat crews manning S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems set up shop near Brest, next to the Polish border. The exercises include practice with drones, multi-kilometer reconnaissance marches by motorized infantry, 

According to another statement by the Ministry, "the number of participants (and) weapons systems [does] not exceed" conditions set by the 2011 Vienna Document, a protocol signed by Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and all Nato member states, including the US, the UK and France.

According to Article 40 of the document, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) must be notified when one country stages "military activities" with "at least 9,000 troops or at least 250 battle tanks."  

In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, Combat crews of the S-400 air defense system drive to take up combat duty at the training ground in the Brest region during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills in Belarus. AP

But contrary to what Russia says without giving specific numbers, NATO observers claim that up to 120,000 troops are involved in the exercise and Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which are close to Belarus, filed a formal transparency request under OSCE rules, pressing Minsk to disclose key data about Union Courage 2022. Belarus has 48 hours to reply.

The Kremlin has promised that Russia will pull back its forces from Belarus once the drills conclude, but this is not enough to satisfy Ukraine and the EU and Nato members.

Ukrainian drills

On the contrary, the exercises have further heightened tensions despite European efforts to find a diplomatic solution to Russia's clash with the West over NATO expansion and Ukraine.

Ukraine has launched its own military drills that are meant as a deterrent against possible Russian invasion plans.

In response to the Russia Belarus exercises, from February 10 to 20, the Ukraine army will hold its own near the border with Belarus. pic.twitter.com/LRvuUJ6XqB

— DailyAlert (@DailyMacAlert) February 9, 2022

'No winners'

For Putin, the current exercise is meant as a warning for Nato, in case it decides to enlist Ukraine - a former Soviet state - as a full member.

According to the official transcript of the press conference, held just after he met with French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin warned that "if Ukraine joins NATO...European countries will automatically get drawn into a military conflict with Russia.

" ... Russia is one of the world’s leading nuclear powers, and is superior to many of those countries in terms of the number of modern nuclear force components.

"There will be no winners, and you will find yourself drawn into this conflict against your will." Putin said.