Shoigu claims alarm at increased NATO presence, accuses Ukraine of using ‘prohibited warfare methods’
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told his colleagues in Russia and Belarus that, since February 2022, NATO has more than doubled its military presence near the Russian borders, bringing the number of its personnel to 30,000. This, of course, is only a tenth of the number of conscripts mobilized by Russia this fall, only by official statistics.
When speaking before the joint board of defense ministries of Russia and Belarus, Shoigu described the NATO buildup in Eastern Europe: “New multinational battalion tactical groups are being created in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.” He noted that the grouping might continue to expand in the near future, adding:
The Alliance intends to move from deterring Russia through a forward presence to a full-fledged system of collective defense on its eastern flank, near our borders.
Shoigu went on to say that the Ukrainian army is “pumped up” with “modern weapons and ammunition,” that Kyiv is trying to develop a “dirty nuclear bomb,” and that it stands ready to deploy NATO nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory.
Shoigu also accused Ukraine of resorting to “prohibited warfare methods,” including “terrorist attacks, contract murders, and the shelling of civilians with heavy weapons.”
NATO makes no secret of increasing its military presence in Eastern Europe following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or of its creation of new tactical groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. In May, a nearly 10-time increase of NATO personnel numbers was reported on its eastern flank, the total number of servicemen going from 4,650 to 40,000.
The Pentagon estimated that 150,000 Russian troops were concentrated near the Ukrainian border just before the invasion. Military experts Michael Kofman and Rob Lee, in turn, speculated that the Russian grouping, not including auxiliary troops, must have been about 80,000 men. In the fall of 2022, Russia mobilized 300,000 additional troops for the war in Ukraine, according to official statements by the Defense Ministry.
Follow Meduza in English on Twitter to stay up to date.