By KYIV. May 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The armed forces of the Swiss Confederation conducted one of the largest military exercises in the last 30 years called LUX 23, Western media reported on Tuesday.
Some 4,000 military personnel who operated in four cantons of the country were involved in the ten-day exercises. During the maneuvers, the military repelled the attacks of a conditional enemy, fired live ammunition, threw grenades. It was planned to organize maneuvers since 2021.
According to media reports, the command through these exercises demonstrated to the population the effectiveness of the “policy of armed neutrality” – the ability of the Swiss armed forces to defend the country independently, without relying on international alliances.
Earlier, Switzerland, following the EU, imposed anti-Russian sanctions, but blocked the re-export of Swiss weapons from other countries to Ukraine. However, several initiatives have been submitted to the Swiss Parliament proposing to ease the rules governing the re-export of weapons.
The media noted that it could take months to discuss this topic between the parliament and the government, as well as the likely behavior of the referendum afterwards, at which citizens will speak out on this issue.
