Russian presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev claimed on March 13 that NATO is intentionally "escalating" tensions within the Baltic area, portraying the alliance as a risk to Russia's safety.
His feedback come amid NATO's warnings that Russia could also be ramping up hybrid operations within the area. A number of undersea cables have been broken in current months, main the alliance to extend its presence within the Baltic Sea.
Chatting with Nationwide Protection, a Russian navy and political journal, Patrushev alleged that NATO's naval forces are working to "block" Russia within the Baltic whereas ignoring diplomatic engagement with Moscow.
Patrushev additional accused the alliance, significantly the U.Ok., of upsetting instability within the area. "The forecast of the scenario within the Baltic permits us to attract consideration to the deliberate fomentation of regional tensions by the naval forces of European nations of the alliance," he stated.
Patrushev additionally claimed, with out proof, that NATO is conducting cyberattacks on Russian ships' navigation methods to create maritime emergencies, together with accidents and infrastructure failures.
Whereas Russian-linked vessels have been detained in connection to broken Baltic Sea cables, Western intelligence companies stay divided on whether or not they have been acts of sabotage or unintentional injury.
Tensions between NATO and Russia have risen following Moscow's all-out assault towards Ukraine. Western leaders and intelligence companies have warned of a possible large-scale battle in Europe throughout the subsequent 5 years, citing Russia's more and more aggressive posture.
The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy