>NATO forces took part in drills in northern Poland on Friday, an area of crucial significance to the security of the alliance’s eastern flank.

>The Suwalki Gap, a sparsely populated area of Polish territory lying between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, is of strategic importance because its takeover by Russia would isolate the Baltic states from the rest of NATO.

>Poland has been beefing up its armed forces in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and plans to raise defence spending to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP).

>“As part of these drills there were exercises that… were formulated based on our experience and observation of the battlefield in Ukraine,” said Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak. “We know what methods Russia uses and what methods (of defence) are effective.”