Servicemen stand on an armoured vehicle during the French-led NATO Eagle Spearhead exercise in central Romania. (File photo/ AP)
Estimates put the number of aircraft involved at between about 25 and 50.
“Amid the aggressive policy pursued by Nato leadership and member countries, the embassy has conveyed our principled approaches to the Nato International Secretariat and the Belgian foreign minisry,” TASS reported citing a statement by the Russian Embassy to Belgium, which is in charge of diplomatic contacts with the North Atlantic alliance. “We warned that this reckless and irresponsible approach sharply increases the risks of a direct military confrontation with our country,” it further said. Poland’s Operational Command said the exercise was coordinated by Nato and was not linked to any Russian air force activity. “We emphasized that Russia possesses the necessary means to repel potential aggression and stands ready to deploy its entire available arsenal of weapons if Nato countries try to isolate the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of our country,” Russian diplomats said.
The stated aim was to improve interoperability between allied forces and practise joint air-operation scenarios.
Moscow said it has enough weapons to defend the Russian exclave and would be prepared to use its entire arsenal if Nato attempted to cut the region off from the rest of Russia. The embassy said it had raised its concerns with the Nato International Secretariat and the Belgian Foreign Ministry. Russia has warned Nato against trying to isolate Kaliningrad, saying any such move could trigger a direct military confrontation. The warning came from the Russian embassy in Belgium, which handles Moscow’s diplomatic contacts with Nato.