NATO launching biggest drills since Cold War 

NATO is launching the Steadfast Defender 2024 military drills today with about 90,000-strong troops, the Russian service of DW reports. All of NATO member states and Sweden, which has applied for membership in the alliance, will be involved. The drills, which will last till the end of May, will cover the territory of Europe from Norway to Romania.

According to dpa news agency, the Steadfast Defender 2024 will simulate a Russian attack on the territory of the Allies. In this case, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty takes effect. Trident Juncture was considered the biggest military exercise of recent decades. It was held in 2018 with more than 50,000-strong military personnel participating in it. The last drills comparable to the Steadfast Defender 2024 were conducted by NATO in 1988, in which more than 125,000 troops participated.

More than 50 ships, including aircraft carriers, over 80 fighter jets, helicopters and drones, and at least 1,100 combat vehicles, including 133 tanks, will take part in the drills.