NATO deployments will invoke counter measures: Russia

Moscow has vowed to initiate countermeasures against NATO’s plans to deploy four battalions close to Russian borders.

The chairman of the defense committee of Russia's State Duma (the lower house of parliament), Vladimir Komoyedov, made the announcement during an interview with the Interfax news agency on Tuesday.

"We certainly decline to be intimidated by the four battalions. These forces are posing no danger for Russia since our army now is different from what we had twenty years ago," added Komoyedov. However, he noted that the increasing NATO military buildup on Russia’s borders is alarming.

“The countermeasures that we undertook, undertake and will be undertaking are such as to make it all clear for our partners from the very start," he stressed.

Noose around Russia?

The first deputy chairman of the defense and security committee of the Russian Federation Council believes that the alliance was following US policies in the region.

"NATO will do what the Americans say, and this is why NATO is enlarging eastward as much as possible and is forming a noose around Russia," said Frants Klintsevich (seen below).

He added that the battalions were being deployed as a beachhead for preparing the infrastructure for military activity against Russia.

"Thank God, we have something to answer with. There is a reason why we are saying today that they are preparing this beachhead. As soon as something begins, we have diplomatic, organizational, political and military means for that," he said.

Klintsevich further added that "these four battalions as such don't mean anything to us," however, they fuel false speculations about Russia's aggressiveness that poses “serious danger to us."

Earlier in the day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the alliance will formally approve the deployment of four "robust" multinational battalions in Poland as well as the Baltic states of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.

The four battalions, which would tour through Eastern Europe and conduct drills with national troops, are likely to number 2,500-3,000 troops combined with a small force designed to act as a tripwire, according to diplomatic sources.

The deployment, to be formally approved in a July summit in Warsaw, will be led by the United States, Germany, Britain, and possibly Canada.

Stoltenberg also announced that the alliance is to deploy troops to Romania as part of the plans to expand its presence in Eastern Europe.

“We convey a very strong message about that we don't seek confrontation with Russia. We don't want a new cold war and we will continue to strive for a more constructive and cooperative relationship with Russia,” he noted.

NATO recently launched its biggest-ever joint maneuvers in Poland — to the west of Russia, a move that was immediately condemned by Russian authorities. NATO also recently launched a missile system installed in European countries, further enraging Russia.

The alliance has also stepped up its military buildup near Russia’s borders since it suspended all ties with Moscow in April 2014 after the Black Sea Crimean Peninsula re-integrated into the Russian Federation following a referendum.

Senior officials in Moscow have repeatedly accused NATO of seeking confrontation, describing its military buildup as a security threat to Europe. Russia has also criticized NATO’s expansionist policy to include countries in the Western Balkan region, saying the move directly harms Russia’s strategic interests in the area.

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