NATO’s largest military exercise in over 30 years commenced last month, with 90,000 troops expected to be deployed during the course of what has been called Operation “Steadfast Defender.” The exercises will take place near Russia’s border, illustrating its clear provocative nature. British Secretary of Defense Grant Shapps admitted as much last month when talking about the U.K.’s involvement in the maneuvers. “Battle lines are being redrawn,” Shapps said in a statement. “The tanks are literally on Ukraine’s lawn. And the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core. We stand at a crossroads.”
Needless to say, the message is being heard loud and clear next door: Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, known for his blunt statements, responded to these deployments on his Telegram channel: “This is a very dangerous game with fire. Significant forces have been assembled. And exercises of this scale have not been conducted since the last century. So they are a well-forgotten old thing.”
Medvedev noted that Russia has no intention of attacking any NATO members, but that at the same time they will not hesitate to defend their interests. “If they [NATO] play too hard and encroach on the integrity of our country, they will instantly receive an adequate response. This will mean only one thing—a big war, from which NATO will no longer turn away,” he wrote.
