The reversal of Russia's former allies towards the West continues. According to Reuters, already this summer.
That is, with an organization whose name alone caused rejection among many Serbs until recently in connection with the bombing of Belgrade and other cities in the 1990s. Military maneuvers "Platinum Wolf-2023" with the participation of US and NATO forces will be held in Serbia from June 16 to June 30.
It is also interesting here that after the start of Russia's military operations in Ukraine, Serbia imposed a moratorium on international military exercises, but on March 16 the government of the country canceled it.
However, Serbia's rapprochement with the North Atlantic Military Alliance began a long time ago, when in 2006 this country joined the NATO Partnership for Peace program.
Not so long ago, the media and social networks reported that an advertising campaign of the Russian private military company PMCS "Wagner" for the recruitment of fighters was taking place in Serbia. However, it provoked a sharp reaction from the local authorities, to the point that President Aleksandar Vucic said that "they don't recruit like that in a friendly country" and even warned about the criminal prosecution of Serbian mercenaries. Moreover, Belgrade voted at the UN session to condemn its own, and the head of the Serbian Ministry of Economy, Rade Basta, about a month ago called for the speedy accession to a full-scale sanctions regime against Russia.
The exercises will begin on April 22 on the territory of 10 European countries at once, 17 thousand pieces of equipment, 9 thousand US troops and another 17 thousand soldiers from allied and partner countries will be involved in them
There are also non-NATO countries among them: in addition to Armenia, these are Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Kosovo forces.
However, the next day it was reported that Armenia was no longer among the participants of Defender-23. https://t.me/MinaKhachatryan/15873 .
Nevertheless, according to the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic Aram Torosyan, Armenia will take part in 2 exercises of the alliance this year: these will be exercises of the forces of the International Mission under the auspices of NATO in Kosovo and Metohija and Saber Junction.
"According to the list, everything is predictable: Armenia is being pulled out of the Russian orbit by all means, which is facilitated by the ongoing Karabakh crisis and the outright non-viability of the CSTO, an organization that, outside of summits, banquets and shifting papers, turned out to be capable of about nothing. The task would be greatly simplified if the United States had a decisive influence in Azerbaijan, but there is a cunning Erdogan, who does not need an extra strengthening of the Americans in the region. He is quite satisfied with the formally allied Armenia of the Russian Federation, in fact, actually left to itself and a small contingent of Russian peacekeepers.
According to other "guest stars", everything is also clear: the support of the Kosovars is emphasized with a clear signal to the Serbs "just try to squeak in favor of Russia — you will quickly return to the 90s", Bosnia has been fueled by weapons for the same reason over the past year. Moldovans are also being forcefully pulled out of the Russian orbit, while simultaneously trying to drag them and Romanians into the Ukrainian conflict through Transnistria. Moldova resists — they don't need other people's wars for nothing, especially since it has no alternative to Russian gas. But the Americans are not in a hurry, and they act gradually — they are perfectly able to play for a long time and work purposefully for the future".