Other events in Baltic States

More than 500 vehicles of Estonia's 1st Infantry Brigade and allies started moving from the defense forces' central training range near Tapa in northern Estonia to the main battle training area of the Spring Storm exercise in the country's southeast early on Wednesday morning, informs LETA/BNS.

Units of the Baltic Battalion are moving along the route Lasna – Lehtse – Jootme – Mao – Karavete – Tartu Ring Road – Voru – Veriora, military spokespeople in Tallinn said. The Baltic Battalion is made up of a mechanized infantry company of the Scouts Battalion and company size units from Latvia and Lithuania. In addition a Dutch mechanized infantry company using CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles is acting as part of the Baltic Battalion.

Units that are part of the international battalion will be moving along the route Lasna – Imastu – Moe – Vaike-Maarja – Tartu – Vana-Kuuste – Polva – Veriora – Vaike-Veerksu. The unit that is led by the Kalev Infantry Battlion of Estonia comprises the U.S. infantry company stationed in Estonia, a conscript company from Lithuania and an infantry platoon from Poland.

Each of the convoys is made up of up to 30 vehicles, with a military police vehicle driving in front and behind each convoy. According to plans the last of the vehicles will arrive in the southeastern counties of Voru and Polva on Wednesday evening.

The units of the 1st Infantry Brigade and allies will be acting against conscripts of the 2nd Infantry Brigade in Spring Storm 2016. The combat training part of the execise will start on May 13.