NATO holds drills near Italian border, Italians uninformed

NATO has dubbed it 'Air Defender 23'; the biggest deployment exercise ever conducted by the Western military alliance, hosted by Germany, kicked off close to the Italian border, yet millions of Italians have been kept in the dark.

• A part of the drills will take place near the Italian border, while most Italians know nothing about them.
  

  NATO kicks off biggest drills near Italy's border with Italians kept in dark

  NATO

The two week military drill, which involves up to 250 aircraft and 10,000 soldiers from 25 countries, comes as fighting escalates in Ukraine with former NATO Chief, Blair Rasmussen, warning that NATO members may send troops to the war torn country.

I am afraid the exercise which begins today will only add fuel to the fire at [sic] international level.

It must be said, however, that a number of countries including China, Brazil, Indonesia, and, the Vatican, have been working to promote peace talks.

Fabio Marcelli, International Law Academic

• Germany is playing host to the biggest air deployment exercise in the history of NATO.
  

  German angst: Anti-war activists rally against NATO’s biggest ever air drills over Europe

  German anti-war activists rally against NATO’s ‘Air Defender 23’ upcoming military drills, demanding peace negotiations in Ukraine.

NATO's Air Defender 23 exercise began on Monday with an air show in Wunstorf Air Base in northern Germany.

In the next few days participants will also train in crisis situations over other flight zones, including a small strip of Southern Germany, about 40 minutes away from the border with Italy.

The Italian mainstream media have chosen not to follow up the story.

Here in Italy we are faced with the subjugation of the media, which will respond to the agenda of NATO and its most powerful member, the US, Italians mostly receive misleading information about the war and are kept in the dark about the real danger of further escalation.

Fabio Marcelli, International Law Academic

• Italian protesters wage anti-w
  

  Italian protesters wage anti-war, anti-NATO rallies

  Anti-NATO protests are held in a number of Italian cities on the same day the country is marking its 77th edition of Republic Day with a military parade in Rome.
  ar, anti-NATO rallies.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February last year, surveys in Italy have been steadily showing that over half of the Italian people are against sending more weapons to Kyiv.

I am speechless. I'm afraid we have lost our way. I didn't know anything about this exercise in Germany. [It] feels like this world is no longer a safe place for us. It's awful.

Member of Public 01

I am quite worried. We have seen how our life has worsened since the sort of the war.

I didn't know about the drill. We have to be cautious.

The war in Ukraine is much closer than we imagined.

Member of Public 02

• Leak of 'secret' US-NATO war plan against Russia prompts US probe
  

  Leak of 'secret' US-NATO war plan against Russia prompts Pentagon probe

  Confidential documents detailing the US and the NATO military alliance plans to militarily assist Ukraine in launching a spring offensive against Russia have surfaced online, prompting a Pentagon probe.

About three weeks ago, Italy's defense minister, Guido Crosetto, announced Rome will deploy some 3400 of its troops to the NATO's eastern flank by the end of the year, in addition to about 600 land vehicles and materials, five naval units and about 30 air assets.

Although most Italians are against sending weapons to Ukraine, Italy has so far approved seven military support packages inclusive of lethal and non lethal equipment.

The provision of military support to Ukraine has, to date, cost Rome more than €1 billion.

• Italians increasingly against supplying Ukraine with more weapons.
  

  Surveys show Italians increasingly against supplying Ukraine with more weapons

  In Italy, polls are revealing an increasing number of people who oppose supplying Kiev with more weapons.

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