According to American General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, observations of Zapad 2021 helped the American intelligence community predict that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent. This was because the exercise was much greater in scale, scope, composition, and duration than previous exercises. Following the exercise, Milley held a briefing with American President Joe Biden about the severity of the Russian threat towards Ukraine.[16] Milley held a meeting with Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, in Finland, on September 22, 2021, to de-escalate tensions in Europe.[17][18]
Belarusian politician and dissent Andrej Sannikau also argued that Zapad 2021 was a preparation for the invasion.[19]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapad_2021
‘Surreal’: How women of Ukraine are taking on the invading forces
https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/surreal-how-women-of-ukraine-are-taking-on-the-invading-forces/
