Where is the Russian military allowed to hold exercises without being "aggressive"? On the Moon?
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
Russian aggression has become so ubiquitous that even when Moscow holds defensive military drills inside Russia as a response to foreign soldiers massing on its borders, this is a form of aggression.
This is actually an example of aggression within aggression, because really the first act of Russian aggression was when it created a country called "Russia" in the first place.
We know this because Lithuanian president and NATO milk maid Dalia Grybauskaite says so.
Grybauskaite is fairly confident that Russian aggression inside Russia will destroy her country, which of course is next in line for Russian annexation. Because if there's one thing Russia needs more than anything right now, its a pointless war for a useless blob of Baltic dirt inhabited by people like Dalia Grybauskaite.
Luckily Lithuania has a leader brave enough to speak truth to power:
Lithuania’s president Dalia Grybauskaite warned the Zapad 2017 joint military drills are a clear indication that Russia is preparing for war. And she appealed to NATO for more military aid in preparation for what could be ‘the biggest Russian war game in Europe’.
She also sought more assurances European Union allies would come to the aid of the Baltic states, amid fears Vladimir Putin is attempting to annexe them
We see that risks are increasing, and we are worried about the upcoming 'Zapad 2017' exercise, which will deploy a very large and aggressive force on our borders that will very demonstrably be preparing for a war with the West." This means that we will be talking with NATO about creating additional standing defence plans, about stationing additional military means and about creating a faster decision- making process.
What a staggering lack of self-awareness. You don't like your neighbor conducting military exercises inside its own borders? How would you feel if a hostile army from the other side of the world was zooming around in tanks, just a few kilometers away from your territory?
We get it. Lithuania hates Russia.
But under want circumstances would it be prudent for Russia to launch an unprovoked invasion of Lithuania? And if the upcoming Zapad exercises are so distressing, maybe it would be wise to ask why Moscow believes it is necessary to conduct them?
Sorry, this is not a "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" scenario.
NATO expansion and saber-rattling came first. It would be nice if Washington and its client states could at least own up to this.
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
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