JAKARTA - Russia has warned the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that the activity of its fighting machines and troops near Russia's borders could be a harmful provocation.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin said systematic provocations by NATO near Russia's borders were fraught with great risks of developing into armed conflict.
"Recently, the alliance chooses to carry out direct provocations, fraught with a great risk of developing into armed conflict," Fomin told a news conference for foreign military attaches and representatives of accredited foreign embassies in Moscow, citing TASS December 28.
Fomin further cited the June 23, 2021, attempt by the British destroyer HMS Defender to infiltrate Russian territorial waters near Crimea's Cape Fiolent.
"It is imperative that the US RC-135 strategic reconnaissance aircraft provide support for British naval vessels," Fomin said.
To note, the intensity of reconnaissance flights in the Black Sea region increased by 60 percent compared to 2020. The number of sorties increased from 436 to 710.
Fomin said the presence of warships and supplies from NATO extra-regional countries had become permanent.
"From January to December this year, NATO ships made 30 visits to the region, as opposed to 23 in 2020. Their overall duration of presence was 400 days, as opposed to 359 in 2020," said Fomin.
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He stressed that after the withdrawal of the United States from the INF treaty, NATO actually ignored Russian President Vladimir Putin's initiative for a moratorium on the deployment of medium and shorter-range missiles in Europe, and for joint verification measures that might allay existing concerns.
"The deployment of such missiles in Europe is unlikely to provide greater security to NATO," Fomin said.
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