DISINFO: NATO military exercise near Belarusian border is a threat for Russia
SUMMARY
Soldiers and officers of the US Army’s 1st division have already begun to arrive in Pabrade training ground in Lithuania. It is located only 10 kilometers from the Belarusian border. The arc from the Baltic to the Black Sea encircles Russia’s borders. The contingents of the NATO member countries, first of all the US, draw together drop by drop. There has not been such a transfer of US troops to Europe from the continental part of America for quite some time. We consider this as a threat to our borders, a threat to Russia’s security.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on Western attempts to encircle Russia and portraying military exercises as security threats. The claim that NATO is encircling Russia is one of the myths about NATO. Russia's land border is just over 20,000 kilometres long. Of that, less than one-sixteenth (1,215 kilometres), is shared with NATO members. Russia has land borders with 14 countries. Only five of them are NATO members. Outside NATO territory, the Alliance only has a military presence in two places: Kosovo and Afghanistan. NATO poses no threat to Russia. All Allies reaffirmed at the Brussels Summit that "the Alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia". NATO is a defensive alliance. Its purpose is to protect the member states. NATO's exercises and military deployments are not directed against Russia, Belarus or any other country. NATO does not seek confrontation, but it cannot ignore Russia breaking international rules, undermining stability and security. See more for NATO's response to the crisis in Ukraine and security concerns in Central and Eastern Europe here. For more disinformation cases on NATO see here, here and here.