NATO is preparing to launch the biggest military exercise since the end of the Cold War on Russia's border on Thursday, what Western media called "the maneuvers of the Third World War," amid growing tension between Washington and Moscow on the back of mutual accusations of violating the nuclear treaty.
The NATO exercises, known as the Trident Genktscher 18, are scheduled to take place between October 25 and November 7, with 50,000 troops, 150 aircraft, 60 warships and 10,000 military vehicles. The exercises will be held with the participation of the alliance's 29 members.
The main training area is about 1,000 kilometers from Norway's 197 km border with Russia in the Arctic, while air exercises can be held 500 kilometers away.
Two Russian military observers and two Belarusians were invited to watch the exercises.
"The exercises" show our NATO allies that we are ready to move across Europe when needed and show our ability to do so, "British Major Stuart Laffery told AFP.
Before the start of the exercise, the NATO website regularly published data on the arrival of troops participating in Norway, said that German tanks and vehicles arrived in the northern European country, apparently in reference to the magnitude of the event and the show of force against Russia.
The United States, the participation of giant aircraft carrier "Harry Truman" in the exercise, which reflects the desire of Washington to maximize the size of the exercises, especially as it increased the number of participants in the exercises by 6,000 soldiers, according to the site "Defense News" in defense.
The participation of the giant carrier is a clear US step to reach the ultimate goal, the highest readiness to respond to any aggression at short notice.
US-Russian tension
The United States' ambassador to the United States, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, accused Moscow of violating the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Treaty, threatening to destroy the warheads "developed by Moscow in secret programs."
"The main NATO countries are increasing their military presence in the region near Russia's borders," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. "These irresponsible actions must destabilize the political situation in the north and increase tension."
Tensions between Moscow and Washington have threatened to boil again in recent days after US President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw from the Cold War nuclear treaty.
Trump accused Russia of violating the pact, while Moscow warned that abandoning it could threaten global security.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has boosted the military's capabilities in the Arctic and has introduced military bases, while new missile systems and anti-aircraft batteries have been introduced.
Moscow also decided to strengthen the Northern Fleet with five new warships, five support ships and 15 aircraft in the coming weeks.
"The return of Russian military power to what it was during the Cold War," warned Francois Hipsburg, an expert at the French Strategic Research Foundation.
"In a way, NATO is also going back to where it was," he said.
Since Russia joined the Ukrainian Crimea in 2014, NATO has intensified its military presence on the European continent, setting up garrisons in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, at a time when Russia has also increased its military presence in adjacent areas.
Last September, Russia concluded the largest exercise ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, with 300,000 troops, about 36,000 military vehicles and 1,000 aircraft, and carried, according to observers, a political message to the West.