Russian Admiral Frets Over ’Provocative’ NATO Drills, usnews.com

A top Russian admiral complained Thursday about increased NATO military activities near the country’s borders, describing them as a threat to regional security.

Adm. Alexander Moiseyev, the commander of Russia’s Northern Fleet, said that NATO navy ships’ presence in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea have reached levels unseen since World War II.

Speaking to reporters onboard the Northern Fleet’s flagship, the Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) missile cruiser, at its Arctic base of Severomorsk, Moiseyev charged that NATO drills have edged closer to Russian borders, and noted increasingly frequent flights by U.S. nuclear-capable strategic bombers.

“Such actions are provocative and have a negative impact on regional security,” Moiseyev said.

He voiced particular concern about the U.S. military assets on the territory of NATO ally Norway that borders Russia, charging that it has led to an “increase of the conflict potential in the Arctic.” Läs artikel