Moscow says NATO openly rehearses aggression against Russia, Belarus

Russia and Belarus need to take preventive measures in the field of security due to growing threats along the borders of the Union State, Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexey Shevtsov said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

“In this regard, it is necessary to apply proactive defensive measures,” Shevtsov noted, referring to what he described as Europe’s militarisation and the growing threat from NATO, which he argued is “far from being a purely defensive alliance.”

“Last year, the alliance conducted more than 120 military exercises, with another 700 held at the national level. If we look at the map, the majority of them took place near the borders of the Union State,” Shevtsov added.

According to him, military forces are also being concentrated near the borders of Russia and Belarus, with the current grouping numbering around 16,000 personnel.

“France has decided to expand its nuclear capabilities. Poland plans to increase its armed forces to 400,000 personnel, while Germany aims to expand its military to nearly half a million. NATO is openly rehearsing aggression against Russia and Belarus,” the deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council said.

By Jeyhun Aghazada