Publication

This commentary analyzes the 'West 2013' military exercises by the Belarusian and Russian armed forces. The exercises were based on a scenario in which forces seek to destabilize Belarus in a fashion similar to what happened in North Africa. This was in contrast to the previous 'West 2009' scenario which assumed a fight against an insurgency supported from the outside and aiming to separate the western part of the territory of Belarus. The exercises confirmed that the military alliance of Russia and Belarus remains strong regardless of the current problems in the relations between the two countries.