NATO enhances combat readiness of thousands of its soldiers

German media reported today, Friday, that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is enhancing the level of combat readiness of thousands of soldiers, amid ongoing tensions with Russia.

And the German news agency reported that the NATO response force should be ready to move to the conflict zone within 7 days instead of 30 days as before.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to condemn what it described as Russian provocations in the eastern regions of Ukraine, saying that the lack of reaction makes Russia continue to escalate them.

Russia is "leading a campaign to spread disinformation, with an increase in cyber attacks on Ukrainian websites and civilian infrastructure with weapons prohibited under the Minsk agreements, which leads to an escalation of the security situation," the ministry said in a statement.

Today, Friday, the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine witnessed the heaviest artillery shelling in years, according to what a diplomatic source with years of direct experience in this conflict told Reuters.

Russia denies Western accusations that it is plotting to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has a population of more than 40 million people, in what may be Europe's largest war in a long time.

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