The Russian Foreign Ministry says that NATO military exercises near its borders increase the risk of incidents.

TASS - NATO's plans to conduct the Steadfast Defender 2024 military exercise near Russian borders are provocative, increase the risk of military incidents, and could lead to tragic consequences for Europe, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

"The maneuvers [of Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024] are openly provocative in nature. For several months, a group of 90.000 soldiers from 31 NATO member countries, as well as Sweden, will be actively operating near the Russian borders on Norwegian territory. This measure is deliberately aimed at aggravating the situation. It increases the risk of military incidents and could ultimately lead to tragic consequences for Europe," she said.

The diplomat stressed that the Russian side "has no plans to attack NATO countries."

According to the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NATO is concealing the fact that during the exercises they will practice “tasks to repel (...) the Russian threat”.

"The chairman of its military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said that the alliance is preparing for a conflict with Russia. Similar comments have also been heard repeatedly from the leadership of NATO countries," Zakharova continued.

"In this way, the alliance is trying to justify its existence in the eyes of millions of Europeans and Americans, as well as its agenda to contain Russia, to justify the insane increase in military spending and, of course, to somehow distract public opinion and public attention from the failures in the field of that hybrid war [that NATO is conducting] at the hands of the Kiev regime against our country," said the diplomat.

Previously, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Christopher Cavoli, announced that the largest NATO exercise in decades, Steadfast Defender 2024, will begin at the end of January. Approximately 90.000 troops from allied countries and Sweden will participate.