Russian war games held last September "simulated a large-scale military attack against Nato," the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces has claimed.

Riho Terras confirmed Nato's fears the Zapad (or "West) exercises were used to simulate a conflict with the US-led alliance and show off Russia's ability to mass large numbers of troops at extremely short notice in the event of a conflict.

The drills, which were held in Belarus, the Baltic Sea, western Russia and its Kaliningrad outpost between 14 and 20 September last year, depicted a fictional scenario concerned with attacks by militants, according to Russia's defence ministry. 

But in an interview with Germany's top-selling newspaper, Bild, Mr Terras said: "Let me be clear: With the exercise Zapad 2017 Russia simulated a large-scale military attack against Nato.

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