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.“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.Explosions rang out at Lake Kepno near the village of Klusy as a simulated attack began.“What happened today at Lake Kepno was part of a larger exercise which has been going on for several weeks,” said Colonel Tomasz Biedziak.The drill saw dozens of Polish and allied soldiers cross the water with military vehicles on amphibious transporters, while U.S. troops in Abrams tanks simulated chasing the enemy."