Germany’s largest printed newspaper, Bild, published since 1952, cited in its article the plan, which became known from a secret document of the Ministry of Defense. According to it, growing tensions between Europe and Moscow may reach a critical level in February of this year.
The article describes the specific steps that the Russian command has drawn up in the form of a scenario for the training of its armies. The plan covers the principal period from February to October 2024.
According to it, we present the events in chronological order:
– February – collection of numerous additional military reserves to the western borders. Against the background of the war with Ukraine, the transfer of units will not cause much publicity, as it would have until February 24, 2022.
– Spring – an active offensive on the territory of Ukraine, which would make it possible to use the shortest strategic path to Europe.
– June – deployment of activity in the Baltic region. The ideological basis for this is already being prepared, and it partly repeats the same narratives that worked effectively in the case of Ukraine, namely, that the Baltic people are former citizens of the USSR who betrayed the Russians by following all the orders of the West against common sense and their security.
Such a plan is only an assumption based on the planned exercises that Russia is preparing in combination with information received by intelligence. The Kremlin doesn’t need to implement it. Most likely, in Moscow, it is considered as one of the likely ones. But the frequency of mention of such a scenario has been increasing recently. Its final phase is the holding of extensive exercises called “West 2024”, which are scheduled for October of this year.
In parallel with this, the Belarusian military is already forming special units that will undergo training on the territory of Russia. The press service of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus said that the emphasis will be on transferring the experience that the Russian army gained during the war in Ukraine. Further, it is planned that the Belarusians who undergo the training will transfer the acquired knowledge to the soldiers in the Belarusian units. Thus, the Belarusian army will complete its full integration into the system of the Russian one.
