Belarusian military exercises near the border of Poland and Lithuania

  Belarus has begun military exercises near its borders with Poland and Lithuania amid rising tensions. According to AAA  News Agency, the action takes place against the backdrop of escalating tensions with these NATO member countries after the arrival of Wagner forces in Belarus. The leaders of the NATO countries, Poland and Lithuania, expressed their readiness for possible steps by Moscow and Minsk, especially in the sensitive border zone shared by both countries and the Kaliningrad region of Russia. That sentiment was expressed earlier this month following an incident in which two Belarusian helicopters briefly intruded into Polish airspace at low altitude. Poland has deployed additional troops to the border with Belarus after accusing Minsk of violating its airspace, raising tensions between the NATO member and the Kremlin's top ally amid a deteriorating security situation in Europe.

On the other hand, the relocation of the head of the Wagner group Yevgeny Prigozhin and his group to Belarus has raised fears among the eastern members of NATO that their presence will cause increased instability in the region. Following Washington's inflammatory actions regarding the war in Ukraine, one US military official said: "The first batch of Abrams tanks will arrive in Ukraine by early autumn." According to AAA news agency, US Army Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Doug Bush said: "The production of Abrams tanks has been completed, and now they must be delivered along with everything related to them, such as ammunition, spare parts, fuel equipment and maintenance equipment to be sent to Europe and then to Ukraine". In May, the United States began training the Ukrainian military to use Abrams tanks in Germany. In April, the Pentagon announced that it plans to deliver Abrams tanks to Ukraine before the end of this year. The war in Ukraine and the sending of weapons by Western countries to Kyiv continues.