NATO Calls Largest Russian Troop Deployment Since Cold War, Including Iskander

BRUSSELS – Secretary General NATO Jens Stoltenberg said the deployment of the team Russia in Belarus is the largest number since the end of the Cold War. The deployment of troops includes, Spetsnaz special forces, Iskander ballistic missiles to the S-400 missile system.

In a statement made following a meeting with North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski on Thursday, Stoltenberg accused Russia of sending a combat unit totaling 30,000 personnel, including the Spetsnaz special forces, to a training ground in Belarus.

Large numbers of troops have been deployed to Belarus in recent weeks, which Stoltenberg described as the highest concentration of Russian troops seen in the area for decades.

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Among the weapons deployed are the S-400 air defense system and the Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missile system, as well as fighter jets.

The sudden deployment of Russian troops in Belarus coincides with the “Union Resolve 2022”, the two countries’ joint combat exercises that will start on February 10, 2022.

NATO views the operation as a war activity, especially as Russia will not disclose the exact number of troops it has deployed, with Moscow claiming its troops will be moved when the exercises end on February 20, 2022.

On Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu arrived at the training grounds for an inspection, a week before the drills were due to start.

The 2022 Union Resolve is coming soon as tensions on Russia’s border with Ukraine continue to heat up.

Moscow is accused by Western countries of gathering troops and military hardware near Ukraine for the invasion.

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