Russia attempts to portray NATO exercises as provocative and aggressive
Russia seeks to depict NATO exercises as provocative and aggressive (photo: Getty Images)
Russia is attempting to shift attention away from its own aggressive rhetoric and behavior towards NATO by accusing the alliance of provocations, according to the ISW report.
In response to NATO's announcement of conducting exercises, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the exercises have a provocative and aggressive nature. The ministry accused NATO of demonstrating strength on Russia's doorstep. Russia also claimed that it regularly proposed initiatives for de-escalation to NATO and urged the alliance to refrain from provocative actions. Additionally, Russia moved its military exercises to internal regions of the country.
Russian officials accused NATO of using the exercises to provoke the Baltic countries into preparing for war against Russia. They characterized the exercises as a series of provocations. On January 17, during the OSCE plenary session, Russia repeated these accusations and claimed that NATO's exercises on the borders of Russia and Belarus provoked an escalation of tension.
Officials from the Kremlin and Kremlin-affiliated entities have repeatedly attempted to create informational conditions for future aggressive actions against NATO member states and their neighbors. Russian electronic warfare (EW) exercises in Kaliningrad, possibly caused an unprecedented level of GPS interference in northern and central Poland and southern Baltic states on December 25-27, 2023, and on January 10 and 16, 2024.
Earlier, it was reported that according to Bild, NATO is planning extensive exercises in a scenario of an attack by Russia.
