No Imagination: NATO Wrestles 'Green Men' in Major War-Games

The operation took place in a fictional country named Botnia, but similarities with a real nation are obvious and worrying, just like NATO belligerence.

"It is easy to notice that the [war-game] scenario is close to the situation in eastern Ukraine, with the only difference being that this time the 'green men' threaten a NATO member. After all, the organizers want to create a situation as close to reality as possible," Deutsche Welle claimed.

NATO, assisted by the Western media, insists that Russia poses a threat to its European neighbors and has been meddling in Ukrainian affairs. Moscow has always denied these groundless claims and has made every effort to help its neighbor secure lasting peace.

Not surprisingly, the Noble Jump war games, the largest the alliance has conducted since the end of the Cold War, are sold as a purely defensive endeavor.

The four-day drills involved 2100 soldiers from nine countries and were aimed at refining the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), which was created to tackle security challenges on the bloc's southern and eastern borders.

The drills, conducted in Poland, are part of the Allied Shield series of war-games, involving approximately 15,000 troops from 19 NATO countries and 3 partner nations, scheduled for 2015. They are also one of four NATO exercises taking place in June.

This reflects a major trend of NATO intensifying its military presence close to Russia's borders. Moscow has repeatedly warned that this could undermine security in the region and upset the regional balance.

Additionally, the United States is reportedly planning to deploy heavy weaponry to Eastern Europe and the Baltics in violation of the spirit of agreements between Washington and Moscow. If confirmed, the development could well be seen as reinforcing the above mentioned trend.