The commissioning of a military airfield in Latvia means the build-up of NATO’s potential near the borders of Russia, according to the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Maria Zakharova, on the official website of the country’s Foreign Ministry.
"In the south-east of Latvia, the reconstruction of the military airfield in Lielvarde has ended. According to media reports, this airbase is equipped with modern air navigation and is capable of receiving the latest-generation aircraft at any time of the day, regardless of weather conditions. There are new steps by the North Atlantic Alliance to strengthen its military presence in the immediate vicinity of the borders of the Russian Federation. In this regard, the statements of the NATO Secretary-General J. Stoltenberg that such actions are allegedly "defensive in nature" is at least insincere. Moreover, the US Secretary of Defense L. Austin, who recently visited the headquarters of the alliance in Brussels, did not hide that one of the priorities of the bloc's work is the 'containment of Russia'. We are convinced that NATO's capacity-building in the Baltic States can lead to the destabilization of the military-political situation in the Baltic region. Our proposals for de-escalation remain in force," Zakharova said.
On October 24, it became known that the former Soviet airbase located in Lielvarde, Latvia, has become a new NATO military base. Thus, Danish F-16 fighter jets, military transport planes and long-range unmanned aerial vehicles will be located there.
Earlier, on October 22, German Defence Minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, said that NATO should show Russia its readiness to use weapons if necessary. She also accused Russia of fostering the migration crisis on the border of Belarus and EU countries, as well as carrying out cyber attacks.
And even before, on October 21, it was reported that the heads of defence departments of NATO countries were going to approve a new plan to counter Russia’s theoretical attack in several directions at once, or “to contain Moscow”.
Ru-Main, 27.10.2021
Source: Izvestia
