The Commander of the US Army in Europe, Darryl Williams, told The New York Times that the military exercises being conducted by various NATO countries in Europe this spring are "practically" aimed at Russia. Williams stated that NATO's spring exercises will be the largest since the Cold War. He noted that in the past, during similar exercises, "the enemy's name was not mentioned," and there was merely a fictional adversary. He added, "Now, this year, we are indeed conducting maneuvers against the Russians, and we are fighting our potential enemy."
The New York Times reported that NATO's military maneuvers taking place this spring are intended to demonstrate what "the early moments of modern conflict between major powers" might look like. It was also mentioned that national security officials are preparing plans for cyber warfare, including how to protect US and NATO interests from a "potential cyberattack on public infrastructure."
Additionally, it was stated, "If NATO and Russia go to war, US and NATO forces would first rush into the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the 'eastern flank' of NATO, to try to prevent the infiltration of Russian troops." NATO exercises are set to begin on April 26 in Finland, near the Russian-Finnish border.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that NATO's upcoming exercises in Finland near the Russian-Finnish border are "provocative," noting that "to justify their aggressive aspirations, NATO representatives are deliberately escalating hysteria about the imaginary 'Russian threat,' including hints about some Russian plans to attack member countries of the alliance."
