The first Abrams tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (BMP) arrived at the border of Lithuania and Belarus on Monday. American heavy armored vehicles delivered to the country for a six-month mechanized battalion of the US Armed Forces deployed here.
The rest of the equipment is reported to be delivered in the coming weeks. About 500 US Army personnel will remain in Lithuania until spring. For the first time in such a long time.
Vilnius notes that this is "a message from Russia that the United States is involved and an additional deterrent ". Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that Russia is not going to attack anyone, and NATO's statements about the Russian threat are used to pull military contingents to the borders of the Russian Federation.
The Pabrada training ground, where the American battalion is stationed, is located in the eastern part of Lithuania near the Belarusian border.
Meanwhile, Russian-Belarusian tactical exercises are being held in Brest. More than 900 military and over 200 pieces of equipment are involved in the maneuvers, and four Il-76 MD military transport aircraft are also involved.
As noted, during the exercises, the military of the two countries will work out the joint conduct of reconnaissance and combat operations, airborne personnel and equipment at night, conducting stages of live firing in the offensive and defense.
Earlier it was reported that two Island-class patrol boats - "Slavyansk" and "Starobelsk" were delivered to the Black Sea. The ships arrived from the United States to Ukraine for service in the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Island-class patrol boats are a class of high-speed patrol boats for the United States Coast Guard designed for patrolling and search and rescue operations in coastal waters.
