BELARUS said on Wednesday the West had no reason to fear attack by its close ally Russia or that Moscow could leave behind forces after war games it is holding with Minsk for a possible occupation of Western neighbours.

Russia has repeatedly said the exercises, code named “Zapad” or “West” which began on Sept 14, are purely defensive in nature and do not target a third country or group of countries. Nato has voiced concern that Moscow could use the war games as a cover to station troops and equipment in Belarus.

Russia’s neighbours have said they fear Moscow could use the exercises as a rehearsal for an occupation of adjacent nations like Poland, Ukraine or the three Baltic republics — all of which were under Moscow’s rule before the Communist Soviet Union broke up in 1991. Poland and the Baltics are now members of Nato and the European Union, while Ukraine is pursuing such ties.

“The attempt to discredit the exercises is extremely unprofessional,” said Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko. “We won’t wage war on anyone. Do not expect any attack from us — especially on Ukraine,” he told reporters after overseeing the last day of Zapad manoeuvres.

Hours earlier, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskait made the exercises the centrepiece of her annual speech to the UN General Assembly in New York.

“Even as we speak, around 100,000 Russian troops are engaged in offensive military exercise ‘Zapad 2017’ on the borders of the Baltic States, Poland and even in the Arctic,” she said.

The Kremlin said it had provided exhaustive information on the exercises before they were held to the military attaches of all interested countries and allowed their observers to attend the event to allay any concerns.

“I think that upon receiving this information Ms Grybauskaite will have a chance to change her point of view,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2017