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NATO has increased the combat readiness of its Response Force (NRF), according to the report published by the German news agency Die Welt, which was citing an unnamed senior NATO diplomat.
“In view of Russia’s troop deployments near the border with Ukraine, NATO has responded with a first concrete military measure and increased the readiness of its 40,000-strong NATO Response Force (NRF) for crisis situations.” – the news agency reported.
The decision was reportedly made by the North Atlantic Council last week.
The NRF is a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and Special Operations Forces (SOF) components that the Alliance can deploy quickly, wherever needed. In 2014, the NRF was enhanced by a “spearhead force” within it, known as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).
According to the report of Die Welt, the VJTF, “should be ready to deploy to the crisis area within five days,” starting from December 20. Earlier, the deployment period was seven days. The readiness of the NRF special forces and logistic units has also been reportedly increased.
However, the official representative of NATO did not confirm the information, according to Die Welt. The Alliance official noted that NATO follows its policy of defense and dialogue.
Thus, the report remains unconfirmed so far, but it is an important contribution to the general Western hysteria against the alleged Russian threat.
In its turn, Moscow has repeatedly claimed that it does not threaten anyone and in fact has no interest to attack its Western neighbours. The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov responded to the constant accusations of provocation, claiming that Russia moves troops within its territory and at its discretion, it does not threaten anyone and should not worry anyone.
Numerous attempts to blame Russia for alleged provocations serve as an excuse for NATO’s military buildup in Eastern Europe, as well as near the Russian borders.
