Repelling the "attack": the largest Aurora 25 exercise in 23 years is taking place in Sweden

International military exercises with the participation of NATO countries Aurora 23 began in Sweden.

Earlier, on its Twitter page, the Swedish Ministry of Defense reported that the maneuvers would last from April 17 to May 11. The ministry added that these trainings will be the largest in the last quarter century.

"Aurora 23 is the largest exercise of its kind in more than 25 years that will be held in the country," the Swedish Defense Ministry said on its website.

About 26 thousand military personnel will take part in the training.

The maneuvers will take place in the air, on land and at sea. Flights on fighters, helicopters and other aircraft will be carried out from several different bases and civilian airports. At the same time, the main flight training area is located in the southern and central parts of Sweden.

According to the Swedish military, these maneuvers are designed to increase the country's defense potential.

"The Swedish authorities, along with a number of other countries, will participate in the Aurora 23 defense exercises. In this way, Sweden's overall defence capability will also be strengthened. Together with military units and subunits from partner countries, we are strengthening security and at the same time increasing the operational potential of the country, "the defense ministry said.

• Swedish Saab JAS-39 fighters
• Legion-Media
• © Piemags

The purpose of the Aurora 23 exercise in Stockholm is also called the development of countering an armed attack on Sweden.

"The goal of Aurora 23 is to increase the aggregate capacity of the Swedish Armed Forces to repel an armed attack on Sweden, including working out the entire chain of high-alert measures before mobilizing for the adoption of a third party within the framework of the (agreement with NATO Host Nation Support. - RT) HNS, as well as prepare us for NATO membership, "said Lieutenant Colonel Henrik Larsson, who is responsible for planning the exercise.

Recall that the HNS treaty was concluded between NATO and Sweden in 2016. It allows the alliance, if necessary, to introduce its forces into the territory of the country.

It is worth noting that in 2017, Stockholm already conducted the Aurora 17 exercises. Then they were also presented as the largest maneuvers in recent decades.

"Part of the anti-Russian coalition"

According to analysts, Sweden is conducting large-scale exercises with NATO countries against the backdrop of Stockholm's unsuccessful attempts to join the alliance.

Recall that on May 18, 2022, Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO. Thus, the two countries abandoned the neutral status that they had maintained for decades.

However, Turkey opposed the admission of these states to the alliance. Ankara explained its position by the fact that these countries do not support Turkey in the fight against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the organization of the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen (FETO), which the Turkish authorities consider terrorist.

• The Swedish military

In the ensuing negotiations, Finland and Turkey managed to settle their differences, after which Finland officially joined NATO on April 4, 2023. However, a similar dialogue between Stockholm and Ankara did not bring results, so the Turkish authorities are still blocking Sweden's accession to the alliance.

Despite this, Sweden, as before, takes an active part in NATO exercises. So, over the past two years, Stockholm has participated in Baltops 2022, Cold Response 2022, Defender 2022, Northern Coasts 2021, Open Spirit 21 and a number of other training sessions.

According to experts, Sweden's active participation in NATO de facto makes it a member of this organization. Under these conditions, the official entry of Stockholm into the alliance will be only a formality, analysts say.

"Sweden has already become quite close to NATO, it is part of the Western anti-Russian coalition. And regardless of whether it is a member of the alliance or not, Sweden will still be on the side of NATO. Therefore, for us there is not much difference whether they join the alliance or not, "said Mikhail Alexandrov, an expert on military-political issues, in a conversation with RT.

The political scientist added that Sweden's accession to NATO is needed not so much by Stockholm as by Washington.

"Sweden's accession to NATO is an anti-Russian demonstration, which is needed primarily by the United States, since we oppose the inclusion of Ukraine in the alliance. The United States wants to show that they do not intend to take into account our concerns and will continue to expand NATO, "the expert said.

"NATO's Capability Build-Up"

Experts believe that the Aurora 23 exercises are directed primarily against Russia, despite the fact that Sweden does not openly talk about it.

"Of course, during the exercises, they consider Russia as an adversary. True, it is not clear how Russia can attack Sweden ... I think that these exercises are also designed to demonstrate that Sweden is closely integrated into NATO, despite the fact that it is not yet formally a member of the alliance, "says Mikhail Alexandrov.

A similar point of view is shared by Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the Institute of International Studies of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

"There is no doubt that they consider Russia as an adversary in maneuvers. Moreover, Sweden now hopes to join NATO. In addition, the Swedish armed forces have always been preparing to repel an attack from the Russian Federation, "the expert said in a conversation with RT.

Experts also state that in recent months, NATO's activity near the borders of the Russian Federation has increased markedly. The alliance not only conducts exercises in the region, but also builds up the grouping of its troops in the Baltic States and Poland.

"We see a build-up of NATO forces and means near our borders: the infrastructure is being tightened, the headquarters are being pulled up, the exercises are held more often. No one opens the Vienna Document (OSCE. - RT), which specifies the rules for informing the other side about the exercises and other provisions on military activities in Europe, "said Vadim Kozyulin.

Mikhail Alexandrov notes that "NATO's activity is concentrated primarily on the borders with Belarus and the Kaliningrad region, as well as in the Baltic Sea."

At the same time, the expert calls such activities of the alliance meaningless, since any conflict between NATO and the Russian Federation will mean a nuclear war in which it is impossible to win.

"They're just wasting money trying to intimidate us with these exercises. In the event of a war with NATO, Russia could use nuclear weapons. And then it will not matter how many members they have in the alliance," the analyst concluded.