The Belgian army is conducting a series of exercises aimed at improving its ability to fight private militias, Belga News Agency reports.
The army — known in Dutch as Defensie and in French as La Défense — has been holding drills in and around the city of Antwerp. On Tuesday and Wednesday, training was conducted in the city's port area; on Thursday, it was held at a shopping centre in Wijnegem, just outside the city centre; and on Friday morning, exercises were conducted at the Kinepolis cinema complex in the north of the city.
"In our scenario, private militias carry out logistical activities around the port of Antwerp, trying to ensure a breakthrough for the actual enemy army troops," said Captain Jonas Willems of the 22nd company of the 3rd Battalion paratroopers. "Our task is to prevent these activities."
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The army claims that the drills were precipitated by Russia's use of private militias — including the infamous Wagner Group — in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Wagner is currently engaged in heavy fighting with the Ukrainian army in the eastern city of Bakhmut.
Roughly 60 paratroopers are participating in the exercises, in addition to about 20 other soldiers.
