A spokesman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated on Saturday that NATO’s four-month-long Steadfast Defender military drills close to Russia’s borders demonstrate the alliance’s readiness for a possible confrontation.
Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson, denied claims made this week by NATO that Russia is carrying out hybrid strikes against its member nations, claiming that this was deceptive “misinformation” meant to divert attention away from the alliance’s operations.
It was NATO that had waged a hybrid war with Russia by supporting Ukraine with arms, intelligence and finances, she said in a statement.
“Currently, NATO’s greatest exercise since the Cold War, Steadfast Defender, is taking place near Russia’s borders. According to their scenario, the coalition’s efforts against Russia are carried out using all available tools, including hybrid and conventional weapons,” Maria Zakharova stated in a statement.
“We have to admit that NATO is seriously preparing for a ‘potential conflict’ with us.”
Relations between Russia and the West have been at their most hostile in decades following the start of Russia’s military conflict in Ukraine in 2022.
NATO announced the commencement of the drills in January, saying 90,000 troops would participate, rehearsing how US troops could reinforce European partners in nations bordering Russia and on the alliance’s eastern flank if a conflict arose. The drills, NATO’s largest exercise since the Cold War, will take place through May.
Russia said at the time that the drills signified a “irrevocable return” of the alliance to Cold War plans.
