Russia Prepares to Counter NATO

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced today, Tuesday, that Russia is bolstering its military forces in the north and west of the country to counter what it perceives as a buildup of NATO forces near Russia. Shoigu stated in a speech to senior military leaders, without going into details, "In light of the strengthening of NATO's military capabilities near the Russian borders and the enlargement of the alliance with Finland's accession and Sweden's potential membership in the near future, we have taken measures to reinforce our troops in the northwestern and western strategic directions." The war that Russia is waging in Ukraine has provoked the worst crisis in its relations with the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. President Vladimir Putin has warned the West that it risks igniting a nuclear war if it sends troops to fight in Ukraine.