Putin said Russia must be strong in the face of Western attempts to undermine the situation at its borders

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia should be strong, answering Izvestiya's question about how to counter the West's attempts to shake up the situation in the countries near Russia's borders. He said at a press conference following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (EAEC).

"Be strong!" - was Putin's response to a question from a Izvestia correspondent about what Russia should do in case the West tries to shake up the situation in Moldova and Belarus.

December 25, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Russia has data that the West is preparing a campaign to sway protest sentiments in Belarus. Prior to that, December 23, the press bureau of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service reported that Moldovan President Maya Sandu demanded to develop a plan for a military operation in Transnistria.

Blocks of discord: the OSCE will start preparing Kyiv for EU and NATO accession

The appointment of a Czech diplomat to the post of Special Representative of the Chairmanship took place without Russia's consent

Earlier, on December 9, Russian Permanent Representative to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Viktor Vasilyev said that NATO was stockpiling armed forces on the borders of Russia and Belarus with the potential to deploy systems for nuclear weapons.

Before that, December 4, CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov said that the growth of military activity of the North Atlantic Alliance near the borders of Russia and Belarus creates a tense geopolitical situation and makes various scenarios possible.

Head of the Russian Defense Ministry Andrei Belousov on October 23 drew attention to the fact that NATO states in 2024 held a series of exercises, which have become the largest since the end of the Cold War. 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.