Polish seaman drowns in Sweden where naval drill being held

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - A Polish seaman drowned in a harbor in southeastern Sweden where an annual Baltic Sea naval exercise is being held, the Swedish navy said Saturday.

Two Polish seamen fell into the water in Karlskrona late Friday and one of them died, Swedish navy Rear Adm. Jens Nykvist said. Neither of them was identified and no further details were immediately provided.

Sweden's Blekinge Lans Tidning daily said the other seaman remained hospitalized Saturday, but had left the intensive care unit. Police said that no foul play was suspected.

The seamen were among 5,000 sailors participating in the annual Northern Coasts drill with units from Baltic nations and several NATO countries. This year, Sweden is hosting the naval drill.

The Sept. 8-21 exercise is being staged as non-NATO member Sweden hosts another, larger drill with nearly 20,000 troops from Sweden and several NATO countries. The Aurora 17 drill starts Monday and ends Sept. 29.

The Swedish military said the Aurora 17 exercise was designed "to deter potential attackers, and force them to carefully consider the risks of attacking our country."

The drills are being held amid fears over Russia's military buildup in the region, which also has also seen several reports of airspace violations by Russian military aircraft.

In recent months, NATO military forces have been deployed into countries bordering Russia after Moscow's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, prompting fears that other ex-Soviet republics, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, could be next.

Russia and its neighbor Belarus also hold a joint military exercises in September, which has raised concerns among Belarus' beleaguered opposition that Russia could use them to establish a permanent military presence in the country. Belarus borders Lithuania and Latvia.