Kremlin: Military exercise poses no threat – West reacts too emotionally

Moscow dismisses Europe's concerns about large-scale military exercises by Russia and Belarus.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Western countries were suffering from “emotional overload” and that the exercises posed no threat whatsoever.

He said the criticism was merely an expression of bias and hostility toward Russia.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday that the joint “Sapad” maneuvers had begun on the territory of both countries and would also extend to the Baltic Sea and the Barents Sea region.

These are traditional exercises that Moscow holds regularly and which NATO perceives as a show of force directly on its borders.

Western representatives have warned in the past that such actions could exacerbate tensions in the region and also serve to test rapid mobilization capabilities.

However, the Kremlin emphasized this time that this was not preparation for an attack, but a normal defense exercise.

(reuters, red)