MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/: Moscow is aware of the ongoing process of the deployment of armaments by NATO countries near Russia’s borders, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Alexander Grushko said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV Channel on Friday.
"The process is ongoing. We are aware of what is taking place," the senior Russian diplomat said in response to a corresponding question.
NATO has decided to expel eight Russian diplomats from Brussels "so that no one impedes the process of demonizing Russia," Grushko pointed out.
Moreover, the military bloc views the Russian mission in Brussels as "some sort of a thorn in its side," the senior diplomat added. "All this complicates the situation and the process of assessing each other’s intentions," Grushko noted.
"The NATO bosses kept saying that it was necessary to prevent the wrong interpretation of each other’s intentions and move towards de-escalation but in this case, they should be interested in more Russian diplomats in Brussels and their normal conditions for work, which, however, they have been deprived of," the deputy foreign minister went on to say.
"In this case, the Russian diplomats, like the diplomats of any other country who get salaries for objectively informing about what they are doing, would write that NATO really has no intentions of embarking on a collision course with Russia," he said.
Military infrastructure in Europe
As NATO is consistently building up its military potential near Russia’s borders, "new military realities are emerging on the ground that are being created on the basis of Cold War schemes, which NATO officials have shaken the dust off of," Grushko added.
"This refers not only to the ramped-up military activity and the larger number of drills with the involvement of a strategic component, but also the establishment of infrastructure, aerodromes and depots, and deploying equipment for reinforcements and port infrastructure," the high-ranking diplomat specified.
"This compels us to take appropriate measures that are 100% called upon to ensure our military security and stability," Grushko stressed.
NATO announced on October 6 that it had cut the staff of the Russian mission at the alliance in half from 20 to 10 members, revoking the accreditation of eight diplomats and abolishing two vacant positions. The North Atlantic military alliance told the Russian diplomats to leave Brussels by late October.
