Russia called NATO Exercises near its borders a ‘preparation for conflict’

NATO’s military exercises near Russia’s borders, known as Steadfast Defender, are proof that the alliance is preparing for a potential conflict with Russia, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said Saturday.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova this week rejected NATO accusations that Russia is involved in hybrid attacks against member countries of the Western military alliance, saying they are misleading “disinformation” aimed at distracting people from the alliance’s activities.

It was NATO that waged a hybrid war with Russia, supporting Ukraine with weapons, intelligence and finances, she said in a statement.

“Currently, the biggest NATO exercise since the Cold War, Steadfast Defender, is taking place near the Russian borders. According to their scenario, coalition actions against Russia are practiced using all instruments, including hybrid and conventional weapons,” she said in a statement.

“We must admit that NATO is seriously preparing for a ‘potential conflict’ with us,” she added.

Relations between Russia and the West are at their most hostile in decades following the start of Russia’s military conflict in Ukraine in 2022.

Announcing the start of the drills in January, NATO said 90,000 troops would take part, rehearsing a scenario in which US troops could bolster European allies in countries bordering Russia and on the alliance’s eastern flank if a conflict were to arise. The exercises, NATO’s biggest maneuvers since the Cold War, are scheduled to take place in May.

Russia said at the time that the exercises marked the alliance’s “irrevocable return” to Cold War schemes.