‘A mission rehearsal’ for Canadian troops training near the border of Russia

CTV News · Adrian Ghobrial · 2026-11-06 15:07 UTC

NATO’s largest-ever exercise along the border of Russia and Belarus is being called “a mission rehearsal” by the Canadian commander at the helm of NATO operations in Latvia.

ADAZI, Latvia -- NATO’s largest-ever exercise along the border of Russia and Belarus is being called “a mission rehearsal” by the Canadian commander at the helm of NATO operations in Latvia.

Col. David Brassard commands NATO’s Canadian-led multinational brigade in Latvia. This week, he has deployed 3,000 soldiers from 14 NATO nations to multiple locations along NATO’s eastern flank, where all roads lead to Russia and Belarus.

“What we’re doing is sending a message: we have a defence plan, we have equipment, we have the personnel,” Brassard said.

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