Russia's Permanent Representative to the CSTO says NATO forces are concentrated near the borders of Russia and Belarus

NATO is stockpiling armed forces on the borders of Russia and Belarus with the potential to deploy systems for nuclear weapons. This was reported on December 9 by Viktor Vasilyev, Russia's post representative to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

"There is a concentration of NATO armed forces on the borders of Belarus and the Russian Federation, including the potential for deployment of facilities capable of carrying nuclear warheads," he said in an interview with "Allies. CSTO."

According to Vasilyev, the organization believes that the growing tension in Europe is of an unprecedented nature. He added that the deterioration of the strategic situation began to be observed after Finland and Sweden joined NATO.

Among other things, the Russian ambassador drew attention to the fact that the West fuels instability in the Caucasus, contributes to the "stably tense" situation in Central Asia, "where the risks of spreading the drug threat, terrorism and extremism from Afghanistan do not subside".

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Earlier, on December 4, CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov said that the scenario of a NATO invasion of the western borders of Russia and Belarus would be an absolutely reckless move on the part of the alliance. He noted that the growth of military activity of the North Atlantic Alliance near the borders of the states creates a tense geopolitical situation and makes possible various scenarios of events.

Prior to that, on November 29, Polish agency PAP reported that NATO military exercises TUMAK-24 started in Poland , they are held 70 km from the border with Russia. It was specified that the training is conducted by the 16th mechanized division of the Polish army and allied NATO forces, it involves about 2.5 thousand soldiers and uses 800 pieces of military equipment.

The head of the Russian Defense Ministry, Andrei Belousov, drew attention on October 23 to the fact that NATO states in 2024 held a series of exercises, which became the largest since the end of the Cold War period. During these exercises, the bloc's military practiced potential scenarios of a large-scale conflict with Russia. The minister added that the alliance was also expanding its combat training and intelligence activities.