Poland, France and Lithuania launch military exercise in the Suwalki Corridor
6,000 active-duty soldiers are taking part (last year there were 3,000). Italia is not taking part but is indirectly involved through the NATO chain of command. The Suwalki Corridor is a strip of territory approximately 65 km wide between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus
by Andrea Carli
A ten-day joint military exercise in what is probably the part of Europe most vulnerable to potential attacks: the Suwalki Corridor. An initiative to test the defence capabilities of the North Atlantic Alliance’s north-eastern flank, taking place at the same time as another NATO exercise, this one focusing exclusively on air operations: Ramstein Flag 2026.
Brave Boar 2026
“Brave Boar 2026” began on Tuesday 16 June and will conclude on the 26th of this month. The exercise involves 6,000 active-duty soldiers (compared to 3,000 last year, half that number), mainly from the Polish 16th Mechanised Division, alongside Lithuanian and French contingents, and 600 units of ground equipment. Italia is not taking part but is indirectly involved through the NATO chain of command. A new feature of this year’s exercise is the participation of a French contingent.
A 65 km-wide strip of land
The Suwalki Corridor is a strip of land approximately 65 km wide between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus. It is considered the most geographically vulnerable point in NATO’s entire defensive structure on its north-eastern flank, as if Russia or Belarus (or both) were to control it, the three Baltic states (Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania) would effectively be cut off from continental Europe.
