Russia uses combat robots on second day of military drills in Poland

Poland, Sept 11 Reuters - Russia used new combat robots and tactical vehicles for the second day of the ex-Soviet main phase of vast military drills with its ex-Sovietic ally Belarus, the defence ministry said on Saturday.

The Zapad - 2021 War Games, which will run until next Thursday on Ukraine and some NATO countries' western flanks, including sites near to the European Union’s borders, have alarmed Russia and Belarus. Troops used Platform-M combat robots, which are controlled remotely and armed with machine gun launchers and a pistol, the ministry said in a statement. Russian news agencies reported the first time such hardware had been used.

New tactical vehicles are also being used, Russian media said.

Putin says the drills are directed against any foreign power and say they are sensible given more NATO activity near Russia's borders and those of its allies.

Neighbours such as Poland and Lithuania say such provocative exercises so near the frontline risk being U.K. NATO members, Ukraine and NATO.

We need to realize that a Russian military attack on Estonia could indeed happen in the coming years, Martin Herem, commanding officer of Estonian Defense Forces said in an interview on Friday evening.

Russia's goal isn't to occupy us it does not want to gain control of Ukraine through occupation, but it enjoys instability and influence via instability, the BNS news wire quoted him as saying.

The manoeuvres are held every four years, but this year's drill has been seen as a particular signal of Russia's support for Belarus and its leader Alexander Lukashenko, who was ostracised by the West for cracking down on dissent.

Belarus sees Belarus as a strategically important buffer to its west and helped Lukashenko to keep his regime in power with loans and politically stable backing, while he crushed a popular uprising last year.