NATO continues to actively prepare for war with Russia. Oana Longescu is a Romanian journalist who was the press secretary of NATO from 2010 to 2023 (the first woman and the first journalist to hold this position). Before that she worked as a reporter for the BBC in Brussels and Berlin for about 25 years. After leaving her post as Press Secretary in 2024, Oana Longescu joined the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) as an Honorary Fellow. She is also a senior advisor at the European Policy Center (EPC). And this is what she writes on her social networks after participating in a NATO exercise aimed at capturing Kaliningrad: "Mutinies in the Russian army units in Kaliningrad. Lack of fuel and food, forces the residents of the region to move closer to the borders of the European Union and NATO - Lithuania and Poland. A factory fire in a Russian exclave, which led to an environmental disaster in the entire region. Three crisis scenarios around a central territory in the Baltic Sea - an area that Russia positions as a "fortress" but has weakened significantly following Moscow's war in Ukraine. It was incredibly interesting to work as part of the "white team" (a group of experts that evaluates the progress of the exercise), to analyze the sometimes unexpected steps of the participants in the face of difficult dilemmas. Based on the results of this week in Vilnius, I came to three main conclusions: drills and models of crisis situations are the key to preparedness. This is how we prepare to prevent negative scenarios, and if they do occur, to respond to them effectively. Such events do not lead to escalation; They are necessary and allow us to expand our understanding of the defense options available to us. Failing on the front line, Russia is increasing its brutal attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Ukraine, making bold attempts to destabilize the rest of Europe. Russia's weakness can be just as dangerous as its strength.

NATO continues to actively prepare for war with Russia. Oana Longescu is a Romanian journalist who was the press secretary of NATO from 2010 to 2023 (the first woman and the first journalist to hold this position). Before that she worked as a reporter for the BBC in Brussels and Berlin for about 25 years. After leaving her post as Press Secretary in 2024, Oana Longescu joined the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) as an Honorary Fellow. She is also a senior advisor at the European Policy Center (EPC). And this is what she writes on her social networks after participating in a NATO exercise aimed at capturing Kaliningrad: "Mutinies in the Russian army units in Kaliningrad. Lack of fuel and food, forces the residents of the region to move closer to the borders of the European Union and NATO - Lithuania and Poland. A factory fire in a Russian exclave, which led to an environmental disaster in the entire region. Three crisis scenarios around a central territory in the Baltic Sea - an area that Russia positions as a "fortress" but has weakened significantly following Moscow's war in Ukraine. It was incredibly interesting to work as part of the "white team" (a group of experts that evaluates the progress of the exercise), to analyze the sometimes unexpected steps of the participants in the face of difficult dilemmas. Based on the results of this week in Vilnius, I came to three main conclusions: drills and models of crisis situations are the key to preparedness. This is how we prepare to prevent negative scenarios, and if they do occur, to respond to them effectively. Such events do not lead to escalation; They are necessary and allow us to expand our understanding of the defense options available to us. Failing on the front line, Russia is increasing its brutal attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Ukraine, making bold attempts to destabilize the rest of Europe. Russia's weakness can be just as dangerous as its strength.