Zakharova accuses NATO of waging hybrid war with Russia through support for Ukraine
\nMOSCOW
\nNATO\u2019s four-month long military exercises near Russia\u2019s borders, known as Steadfast Defender, are proof the alliance is preparing for a potential conflict with Russia, a spokeswoman for Russia\u2019s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
\nThe spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, dismissed accusations by NATO this week that Russia is engaged in hybrid attacks on its member states, saying this was misleading \u201cmisinformation\u201d aimed at distracting people from the alliance\u2019s activities.
\nIt was NATO that had waged a hybrid war with Russia by supporting Ukraine with arms, intelligence and finances, she said in a statement.
\n\u201cRight now, NATO\u2019s largest exercise since the Cold War, Steadfast Defender, is taking place near Russia\u2019s borders. According to their scenario, coalition\u2019s actions against Russia are being practiced using all the instruments, including hybrid and conventional weapons,\u201d she said in a statement.
\n\u201cWe have to admit that NATO is seriously preparing for a \u2018potential conflict\u2019 with us.\u201d Relations between Russia and the West have been at their most hostile in decades following the start of Russia\u2019s military conflict in Ukraine in 2022.
\nAnnouncing the start of the drills in January, NATO said 90,000 troops would take part, rehearsing how U.S. troops could reinforce European allies in countries bordering Russia and on the alliance\u2019s eastern flank if a conflict were to flare up. The drills, NATO\u2019s largest exercise since the Cold War, are set to run through May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Zakharova accuses NATO of waging hybrid war with Russia through support for Ukraine MOSCOW NATO\u2019s four-month long military exercises near Russia\u2019s borders, known as Steadfast Defender, are proof the alliance is preparing for a potential conflict with Russia, a spokeswoman for Russia\u2019s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. The spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, dismissed accusations by NATO […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":404757,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-404746","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n