Not just Russia: NATO warns Belarus face-off and strikes are part of defense strategy
Alexus Grynkewich / AP
In the event of a Russian attack, NATO will respond with strikes, including on Belarus. This was stated at a security forum in Warsaw by NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich.
In his address, he presented the North Atlantic Alliance's defence plan. The goal of the plan is to stop Russian aggression at the very outset, and if it continues — to deprive the adversary of the ability to command and supply its forces.
Grynkewich does not believe that such a conflict is inevitably imminent: "But, given the scale of activity related to sabotage and arson, I think the populations of our alliance's countries are a little nervous. And I want to assure the one billion citizens of our alliance: we've got this."
According to the plan, it is envisaged to create a broad "autonomous zone" in which a Russian advance would be held back by drones and ground robots, so as to avoid significant military casualties.
Meanwhile, long-range missiles would simultaneously strike Russian command posts and air defence facilities in the Kaliningrad region, in the area of Saint Petersburg, and in Belarus.
NATO has named this strategy the "Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative". The primary goal is to compel Vladimir Putin to assess NATO's defensive capability and to abandon any attack. As part of this strategy, NATO regularly conducts exercises.
