Foreign Ministry warns of Russian response to US military presence near northern borders

Russia will respond to the US military presence near the country's northern borders. This was reported by the director of the First European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Artem Studennikov, on February 13.

He noted that Washington was increasing military cooperation with satellites in northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region. The diplomat added that the Russian Federation has repeatedly emphasized that it does not pose a threat to Sweden and Finland, which have aligned themselves with the United States.

"It is quite natural that such a development of hostile military activity in close proximity to our borders cannot remain without effective response measures," he told RIA Novosti.

Studennikov specified that Russia could apply military-technical response measures. He pointed out that specific decisions on this issue will be made by the Russian Defense Ministry. At the same time, it is specified that Moscow tried to build a dialog with the states of Northern Europe.

According to the diplomat, "it should be clear to everyone" that Russia will ensure reliable defense of its legitimate interests in the Baltic region, despite NATO's attempts to turn the water body into "its own internal lake".

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Estonian broadcaster ERR reported on January 18 that NATO warships had begun patrolling in the Baltic Sea as part of Operation Baltic Sentry.

Military expert Alexei Leonkov told Izvestia on January 30 that NATO countries' attempts to block the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea would be a pretext for war, for which the alliance, unlike Russia, is not ready. According to him, the acquisition of weapons, sending ships into the water area for patrolling in a different environment could sound like a routine use of the bloc's fleet.

Later, on January 30, Glenn Diesen, a professor at the University of Southeastern Norway, said that NATO plans to move the U.S. military to Russia's northern borders - in Norway, Finland and Sweden. According to him, the key task of the alliance in the north is to create threats to Russia by strengthening the presence of the alliance's troops in the Arctic Ocean and the Baltic Sea.

On February 6, Russian Ambassador to Belgium Alexander Tokovinin specified that Russia would take retaliatory measures to NATO's operation in the Baltic Sea to patrol underwater communications.