Russian Military Planning Takes Into Account Rise In NATO Drills In Europe - Grushko

Russia takes into account the increasing number of NATO exercises in Europe and other steps toward the alliance's military build-up, which will be reflected in Russia's military planning, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Friday, commenting on the upcoming Trident Juncture drills.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th October, 2018) Russia takes into account the increasing number of NATO exercises in Europe and other steps toward the alliance's military build-up, which will be reflected in Russia's military planning, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Friday, commenting on the upcoming Trident Juncture drills.

Trident Juncture 2018 drills will be held in Norway between October 25 and November 7, with some 40,000 troops from 31 countries participating in the event. Back in May, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti said that the drills were supposed to become a "demonstration of our capability" and a "deterrent message" to Russia.

"Military exercises, whose number is annually increasing, are a new element of the NATO build-up in Europe. We also take into account other efforts that NATO is taking to strengthen its military capabilities in Europe. First of all, it concerns the creation of new infrastructure facilities, removal of obstacles to boost the capabilities for the rapid movement of troops.

All these steps to deploy new troops close to our borders create a new military reality, which we fully take into account in our military planning," Grushko told reporters.

He recalled that the upcoming Trident Juncture 2018 drills would be one of the largest in NATO's recent history and would cover all the four operational domains, namely land, sea, air, and cyberspace.

Grushko noted that, according to NATO, the drills will be a combination of defensive and offensive operations to confront a potent and technically advanced peer adversary.

"If we look at the map, where the drills will be held, there should be no doubt as to whom NATO means by peer adversary," the diplomat stressed.

Russia has repeatedly criticized NATO's buildup and exercises close to its borders, saying such actions were provocative, and could lead to regional and global arms race and destabilization.