Russian General Staff  : NATO drills indicate preparations for large-scale conflict

NATO military exercises in the Baltic States, Poland, and in the Black and Baltic Seas indicate that the Alliance is preparing for a large-scale conflict, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasinov said on Tuesday.

"Military activities are increasing in the Baltic States and Poland, in the Black and Baltic Seas. The intensity of the bloc's military exercises is growing. Their scenarios point to NATO's deliberate preparation to using their forces in a large-scale military conflict," Gerasimov was quoted by the Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper as saying.

At the same time, the Alliance is promoting a thesis about "Russian military threat," interpreting Russia's actions on esnuring security or any other planned transparent activities in the sphere of military construction as "a threat to peace," Gerasimov noted. "In the doctrines of Brussels, Russia has the status of an adversary," he stressed.

Chief of the Russian General Staff said the situation in the world remains unstable, and the developments become more unpredictable, he added. The reason behind this lies in the striving of some countries to force their principles on other sovereign states, "including with the use of force," he noted.

"Unprecedented political, economic and informational pressure is being exerted on countries that try to carry out independent policies, including on Russia," Gerasimov said adding that this may potentially lead to crises that could escalate into a larger conflict.

“We should definitely be ready for any possible developments," Gerasimov stressed. He concluded by noting that Russia's defense potential will be maintained at the level necessary for repelling an aggression against Russia of any scale and from any sphere.