Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated via her Telegram channel on Jan. 26, according to TASS, that NATO’s Steadfast Defender 2024 exercises “are openly provocative in nature. For several months, a 90,000-strong group of forces from 31 NATO member countries, as well as Sweden, will be actively operating near Russian borders on the territory from Norway to Romania. This step is deliberately aimed at escalating things. It increases the risk of military incidents and could ultimately lead to tragic consequences for Europe,” she said.