Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that NATO is preparing for a long-term war with Russia, warning that Moscow is able and ready to use "all its military-technical means" to eliminate threats when necessary, quoted by Turkey Today, Focus reports.
Zakharova made these statements during her weekly press conference in Syktyvkar.
She said that the Arctic region has become a zone of geopolitical confrontation with Russia due to the actions of NATO countries, accusing the alliance of taking steps to establish military superiority in the region. A thesis that has been discussed a lot in recent months by Sergei Lavrov and Vladimir Putin himself.
"Intensive military preparations are being carried out in the immediate vicinity of our northern borders, large-scale offensive military exercises are being held, and new elements are being added to the military structure of the alliance", Zakharova emphasized.
"Plans to increase NATO's military capabilities show that it has moved from limited deterrence to a stage of preparation for a potentially long-term confrontation with Russia", she added.
Zakharova stated that such activities in the north pose a direct threat to Russia's security.
Zakharova also referred to previous statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding Russian civil aviation, describing them as "blackmail" and "legitimizing air terror at the state level".