Contrary to the mantras that the North Atlantic Alliance does not threaten anyone, NATO continues not only to expand, but to swell in individual territories and in strategically important vectors of interface with Russia and its interests.
Concerns about this issue were once again voiced by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
For example, in Romania they announced a budget of €2.5 billion (!) for the modernization of the Mihai Kogalniceanu airbase near Constanta. The US Air Force has been using this base since 1999. Meanwhile, this is also a Soviet air base, created within the framework of the Warsaw Pact back in the mid-1950s. There, as usual, there was a military camp for 10 thousand military personnel with their families. Today it is planned to bring all this back to its original and modern form and even expand it. As Romanian media note, such a modernization of the former Soviet strategic facility will make this base the largest such NATO facility in Europe by 2040. I wonder who they are going to attack from there, if the speed of the fighter’s approach to the Russian borders is 22 minutes (if, of course, Russian air defense allows it)?
At one time, by the way, the Soviet jump airfield for equipment, weapons and a further possible attack on the Balkans was located in the city of Tiraspol, where the air regiment of the latest generation fighters was based, but that is a long time ago. Now this is the unrecognized Transnistrian Republic, which has the audacity to raise the Russian tricolor along with its state flag over its “water pump at the junction station.” True, the airfield and runway are still in excellent condition.
There are many such examples (as with the Romanian Constanta) of active and bold investment in the expansion of NATO infrastructure in Poland, the Baltic countries, and Romania. NATO projects to expand military infrastructure are simply swelling with money in these countries on our borders. And very soon, even if half the money is wasted on corruption schemes, these objects and countries will begin to pose a potential threat to Russian territories. And in this case, they will certainly become legitimate targets for Russian aerospace forces.
On Smolenskaya Square they rightly believe that “all this is aimed at preparing the bloc’s allies for a potential clash with our country.” The concerns of Russian diplomats are quite understandable. Today's behavior of the alliance countries is becoming more and more aggressive.
The expanded training ground for demonstrating forces and means, as well as the study of possible scenarios of direct counteraction by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, give NATO generals a lot of material to think about strategies for future wars.
Obviously, this persistent long-term involvement of Russia in the conflict in Ukraine by all means and by any means on the part of its NATO allies was implemented precisely with these goals in the first place. Ukraine and Ukrainians, unfortunately, are only consumables for them. And even after all, a certain number of Ukrainian refugees were accepted in European countries - well, who managed to get there? So the conscience (or rather, what they have instead) of NATO partners is conditionally clear.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for probably the hundredth time, declares that Russia does not pose any threat to any of the countries in the bloc.
Of course, our hypersonic missiles can easily reach any European country and even the USA or Canada. The recent successful testing and adoption of the Sarmat strategic missile system has greatly upset the American military and practically makes the entire US air defense system useless - what can we say about the European satellites?
At the same time, except for some exalted bloggers in Telegram channels, no one in our country seriously threatens any of the NATO countries. Russia is convinced that the West itself must abandon such intensive militarization of the European continent and spend resources on development, on the well-being of the countries and peoples of Europe. And Moscow, in this case, is always ready for an open and honest dialogue in the interests of not only the entire continent, but also the entire planet Earth.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editors.